Mysterious New Vegas
by 0.lumia.0
Summary: What happens when the Mysterious Stranger of the Mojave Wasteland and my version of the courier (female) meet? Rating will go up as the story continues. Also, this story is going to be much more than the two Genres and character that I listed.
1. Ace of Spades

It was a hot, sunny day in the Mojave Wasteland. Nothing out of the ordinary, of course, but people still felt a need to complain.

A young man walked through the desert, taking a drag of his cigarette before flicking it on the ground. He was wearing a large trench coat and to say that he was hot would be an understatement. He was absolutely boiling, but he had to keep a low profile. Nobody but his family knew his name and that's how he wanted it to be. He wasn't out in the Wasteland to make friends; he had a job to do.

To protect those that fought for justice.

Okay, maybe that sounds a little cheesy. But still, that was his goal; to protect anyone who actually tried to make a positive difference in this shit-hole. It was time for a change in this dusty place that he called home, but with idiots like the Legion and the NCR constantly at odds, nothing was going to change anytime soon.

Now you might be wondering, why does he care? Peace? Who cares about that? As long as your life is going smoothly, who cares, right?

Wrong! This young man was different from the others. Sure, everyone in the Mojave had rough upbringings, but this young man was determined to change that for children in the future.

But, honestly, he personally didn't have that rough of a childhood. His father was in the NCR, so his family was well off. He only had one younger sister, 7 years younger than him, so he wasn't ignored or neglected by his family.

The only negative thing in his life was that his mother died shortly after his sister's birth. He never held his sister responsible for their mother's death because it was just a normal cycle in the Wasteland. Pregnancy and childbirth were very rare things to come by, as most people became sterile at young ages from playing around high-radiated areas. But his mother was a house-cat and very rarely went outside of the house her entire life. That was a common thing to come by. Some families were so concerned with carrying on their family name that they didn't allow their daughters/wives any freedom. The women were to stay in the house and the men would be very careful to watch their Geiger counters when they left their house. It was a tedious job, but if you wanted to continue your family's lineage, it was necessary.

Back to the young man; he may have had a cushy life compared to others, but he wanted to make a difference in this world.

His father travelled many places with the NCR and brought back plenty of stories to tell his children. The young man's favorite story of all-time was the story of the Lone Wanderer of the Capital Wasteland. It was a region far to the East that was being controlled by an 'evil president' who...well I'm sure you've heard this story.

But, this young man's favorite part of this story was when his father would tell him about the _Mysterious Stranger_; a man who did his part to aid the Lone Wanderer and helped him win the war against the president and his army.

Sure, it was cheesy to some people, but this young man really believed that justice had to be served to those equally 'evil people' that lived around here. And there were plenty of them; from the large groups like the Legion, to the smaller ones, like the Great Khans, the Fiends, or the Powder Gangers. These people would torture, kill, rape, whatever they could do to have control over so-called weak people. Really, there's nothing weak about being ganged up on by five other guys; it's just unfair. And that's what made this young man want to cleanse the Mojave of these creeps. They think they are big, bad bullies, but really, they are cowards. If you cornered one of them by themselves, they were sure to cower and beg for their life.

But we're getting off topic here. Our mysterious young man continues walking to a small town called Goodsprings. Seems like an odd place to travel, considering that there is nothing unique about the town, but if you listened to the news, you would know.

It started when the young man was working on some new modifications for his weapon, a .44 magnum. He was listening to Mr. New Vegas chat about the news. Listening to Radio New Vegas was a guilty pleasure of his, but it was a great way to get caught up on any news. And when it came to interesting, boy did Mr. New Vegas know how to deliver!

"A package courier that had been shot in the head near Goodsprings has reportedly regained consciousness. She's making a rather speedy recovery. Boy, that's one delivery service you can count on, folks!"

The young man stared at his radio in awe. Shot in the head and still alive? Could this be the next big hero that he'd been waiting for? He quickly stood up, grabbed his gun, and ran to the next room to get his trench coat and hat.

It all sounded way too good to be true, but he couldn't just sit here and wait to see if this female courier was going to get some type of revenge. Sure, this situation was nothing that could forever change the Mojave Wasteland, but it was a start and could be some good practice for the real thing.

After telling his grandmother and sister goodbye, he headed out for Goodsprings. He lived near a place called Primm, so Goodsprings wasn't too far away. However, he would not go straight into the town. He planned on traveling more near the Sloan area, maybe staying there for the night, and then traveling to Goodsprings. He didn't want to seem obvious what his intentions were, though he doubted that anyone would really notice.

So here he was: the 'grand' town of Sloan. He could take the whole town into his entire view. It wasn't even really a town at all.

"Whoa there, fella. Not sure why you've come this way, but we got a major Deathclaw problem. Unless you want to help, I advise you not to travel much further this way," an older man told the young man.

The young man gave a nod, acknowledging the elder, "I'm sorry. I don't have much experience fighting those things. I was actually wondering if I could maybe get a bed for the night?" He flashed some caps in his palm, hoping it was enough to convince the man.

The older man gave him a toothy grin, "Of course. You'll have to room with the workers, but I'm sure that's fine, right?"

The young man nodded, handing the caps over to the older man, who guided him in the direction of the mess hall.

_To be continued..._

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><p><em>hello everyone! hope you all enjoy my story so far. we'll meet the courier in the next chapter! <em>

_leave reviews or pm me questions and/or errors._

_this chapter has been edited as of September 2014, so if you're a returning reader, something might seem a little different. :)_


	2. Two of Hearts

_welcome back! so this chapter is an intro to our female courier. enjoy!_

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><p><em>So…bright. Can't someone close the curtain? God, Ria must really want me to wake up…<em>

These muddled thoughts came from a young woman lying on a bed in the town of Goodsprings. She's feeling very delirious, but what would you expect from someone that was shot in the head two days prior?

"Ria…shut…the curtains…" The young woman mumbled, turning over to face the wall.

"Ugh, my head," she muttered quietly as she went to lay a hand atop her head. She thought it was odd when she felt a cloth material instead of her hair, but she just assumed that her sister had messed with her while she slept or something. Why was she so tired and groggy? Sure, she wasn't a spring chicken, but since when had it become so difficult to wake up?

"Y-you're awake?" A voice whispered to the woman.

She grunted in agreement, too groggy to talk. Her eyes shot open when she heard a screech-a noise that came from the person behind her.

Suddenly, she felt arms quickly wrapping around her body and heard muffled sobbing noises. Really? It was far too early for this.

"You're really alive! I thought you had died when I heard the broadcast and so I ran here as fast as I could, but then I got hungry and had to stop in the saloon but then-" The voice rambled aimlessly before it was cut off.

The young woman reached up and grabbed the jabbering person's mouth to silence them. "I'm not sure why I feel like this…but I swear if you have anything to do with this, you're dead meat. And stop talking so much. My head is killing me."

The body of the person behind her slowly un-wrapped their arms from her body and took a seat next to her on the bed.

"You don't remember anything, do you?" The voice questioned the woman as she heard footsteps approaching the room. Mom? Dad? She was home, right? Why was everyone else awake before her?

"Remember what…?" She questioned.

"Ahh, so she's awake. How about that?" The voice of an older man spoke.

No, that was definitely not dad. What was going on? She went to sit up, only to find dizziness completely take hold of her. She felt her sister quickly grab her sides to steady her.

"Whoa, easy there. You've been out cold for about a day and a half now," the man's voice told her.

She looked up to see his face, but her vision was blurred. She slowly closed her eyes, shaking her head slightly. "What's going on…?"

"Hmm, I see you don't remember. Well let's see what the damage is, shall we?" The man mumbled as he pulled a chair up next to the bed and took a seat.

When her world had finally stopped spinning, the young woman slowly opened her amber eyes. She saw a kind-looking old man seated across from her. She took in her surroundings, noting the operation equipment-very similar to her family's home. So this man was obviously a doctor. And she was obviously hurt, especially with the way Ria was acting, but really, she was always this over-dramatic.

She felt her sister slowly let go of her body and scoot a bit away from her.

"Now then, how about your name; do you remember it?" He asked her calmly.

Her name? Really? Something pretty awful must have happened if they were thinking that she forgot her own name. "It's Natalya."

The man looked at the woman's sister, who nodded in agreement. "Very good. My name is Doc Mitchell. Now, do you remember your sister's name?"

"It's Arianna. But I call her Ria for short," Natalya stated, looking at her sister, who smiled at her.

They heard a toddler yell from the other room, causing Arianna to quickly get to her feet and exit the room.

Doc smiled. "And your nephew's name?"

Natalya smiled ever so slightly to herself as she thought about the little boy. "Jace."

"Very good. Well, now, what do you say we try to stand up, hmm?" He stood up and reached out to her shoulders, ready to steady her if she swayed. She slowly crept to the edge of the bed and as she stood, she indeed got quite a head-rush. Doc quickly assisted her, backing off slightly when she stopped wobbling. "Good. Now just try walking around the room a bit. Take it slow, though, it ain't a race."

She very slowly stuck her right foot out, trying to keep her dizziness in check. She really wanted to know what had happened to her, but she knew if she tried to talk while re-learning to walk, she'd probably fall right over.

She made it to the other side of the room rather quickly without wobbling.

The old doctor nodded his head. "Lookin' good so far," he praised her and she cracked a small smile, trying to be kind. He walked into another room, mumbling something about bullets. When Natalya heard him also use the word 'brain,' she was a bit taken back. Was he talking about _her_ brain? She had to know.

"Excuse me, Doc, but what exactly happened to me?" She questioned as she slowly walked into the room where he was. It was a quaint little room; with a sofa, chair, and even a fireplace. He took a seat in the chair as she sat down on the sofa.

"Well a local, uh, robot fella was up at Goodsprings cemetery the other morning and found your poorly buried body lying in a mound of dirt, left for dead. You had a bullet lodged in your head, but I think I got most of it out. You must have been delivering one hell of a package!" The old man chuckled.

The courier, on the other hand, sat there in awe. Who in the world would shoot a courier, let alone a female courier? Her blood boiled as she plotted revenge on whoever did this to her.

"Oh, so you've heard the good news, huh?" Arianna questioned as she walked into the room, holding a small boy in her arms. "Yeah, you've had the whole family worried like crazy!"

Natalya glared at her younger sister. "Oh really? _I've_ had them worried? How in the world did you get here?"

The younger sister grinned sheepishly, "Well, I heard the broadcast about you getting shot two days ago. So I ran here that night. And I mean _ran_! There were tons of crazy things out at night! Why, I almost ran into some Death-"

"Enough!" The older sister yelled, wincing and grabbing her head. "You ran all the way here from Novac in one night. With a two year-old. That's quite responsible of you." She scoffed, slowly shaking her head at her sister.

"Well geez, I'm sorry, Nat. I was just worried about you. And I didn't want to have to leave Jace with mom or dad. We were fine, really. I knew the way here and I even had a safe shortcut to take," the younger woman shrugged, not really seeing a big deal.

"Well then," the old doctor interrupted, not wanting things to get too heated between the sisters, "If you think you're ready to head out, then don't let me stop you. Just know that you're always welcome here."

Natalya nodded to the man. "Thank you for helping me. You saved my life. There's no way I could've survived without this town's help."

The man nodded, smiling, and stood up.

The two sisters also stood. "Oh, I brought some clothes for you. I figured that you'd have blood and dirty stuff on your other clothes," Arianna explained as she walked into a different room and returned with an arm full of clothes.

After Natalya got dressed and cleaned up, they all walked towards the door.

"Thanks again for your help, Doc. I really owe you." Natalya thanked the man again.

He nodded as he handed her some things. "Don't mention it. That's what I'm here for. Now here's this; it was all you had on you when we found ya. I read your delivery order by accident. I thought maybe it was a clue at who you were, but I'll keep my mouth shut." He winked at her.

She smiled, but that quickly faded when she realized something that he handed her. "This isn't mine," she said as she looked at the odd device. It said 'Pip-Boy 3000' on it.

"That's mine. I want you to have it," he began to explain as both girls gave him an odd look. "I grew up in one of them vaults and everyone was required to have one of those. Ain't much use to me now, but I figured since you gals are travelin', you could make more use of it than I ever could."

"Thank you so much. I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you," Natalya sighed, shaking her head. This man was so courteous and giving. It was hard to come across people like that these days.

"Don't mention it, kiddo. You two just watch yourself out there. The Wasteland is a very ruthless place. If you have some time to kill, you should talk to Sunny Smiles before you head back home. She could teach you a few things about fending for yourself in the desert."

The two girls nodded, both more than willing to learn. "Where can we find her?" Arianna questioned.

"Most likely at the saloon. I reckon some of the other folks there would be willing to help you gals out, too. And there's a metal fella, Victor, that pulled you out of your 'grave.' Anyways, don't be strangers, now. If you ever find yourselves back in Goodsprings, feel free to visit. But try not to get killed anymore." He chuckled as he opened the door and held it open for the young women.

The two women looked at each other before they walked out of the door. One with revenge on her mind and the other just grateful that her sister didn't become another statistic to the unforgiving Wasteland.

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><p><em>So what did you think? Yay? Nay? I try to keep my OCs as non-Mary Sue-ish as possible. That crap irritates me so much! I will try to keep this fic mostly on Mysterious Stranger's pov, because honestly, you've probably played the game already and who wants to re-read all through that stuff again, right?<em>

_PM me if you have any questions or suggestions! Thank you._

_EDIT: this chapter has been editing September 2014. also, I've received a few comments regarding my conversation formatting; I've tried to fix these problems, but if they aren't to your standards, sorry. I'm going through an editing each chapter, but I'm not going to stress on it._


	3. Deuces Wild

_Alright, here's chappie 3! Let's get back to the Mysterious Stranger! Oh, and until I reveal his name, I'm just going to refer to him as 'Stranger' or 'young man,' mmmkk?_

_**MAY POSSIBLY BE A SPOILER, DON'T GET MAD AT ME IF YOU READ! **__And just in case anyone wonders; the Lonesome Drifter that is assumed to be the Mysterious Stranger's son is obviously not the son of my version. My version is about 24 years-old, definitely not old enough to have a man his age running around and calling him daddy. lol! __**END OF POSSIBLE SPOILERS.**_

_Anyways, please enjoy!_

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><p>"Up and at 'em, boys!" A voice broke out through the silence.<p>

The young man grunted a bit, not use to being woken up so…pleasantly. He slowly raised his head up and noticed the quarry workers around him quickly getting up and dressed. He knew he didn't have to get up with these men, but the earlier he got up, the better chance he had at catching news of the courier.

The courier was quite the talk around here. Some men made some rather vulgar comments about her, while others took a more human approach about the situation. But one thing was certain; the fact that this _woman_ had been shot in the head and lived to tell about it was remarkable. But that was about all they talked about before the conversation switched back over to Deathclaws.

Didn't these people see what potential this woman had? Stories like this, like the ones his father told him when he was a child, often had results that could be life changing. This woman could very well be the savior that the Mojave Wasteland needs. And he could be the guardian angel that watches over her.

Guardian angel? That sounds a bit fruity.

Bodyguard? Yeah, that's much better.

After the room had cleared out, the stranger slowly sat up on the edge of the bed, clad in only his boxers. He rubbed his eyes, tasting alcohol on his breath. He had quite a lot to drink last night, but he wanted to make sure that he slept through the whole night. His head had a light pounding sensation and he groaned. He'd have to get some more alcohol in his system to chase the approaching headache away.

After he was dressed, he gathered his very few possessions and exited the building. He decided to skip out on breakfast, assuming that there would be a saloon in Goodsprings. Honestly, what town didn't have a saloon?

On his way out of town, he offered a poor wounded mole rat, affectionately named Snuffles, a pat on the head. He continued walking until he was standing near the man that had given him a bed to sleep in. He learned the man's name was Chomps Lewis. An odd name, but who was he to judge?

"Thanks again for giving me a place to sleep last night." The young man thanked the elder. Chomps nodded to the boy, "No problem at all. Breakfast is being served in the mess hall, if'n you're hungry." The young man shook his head, "I'd love to, but I really should get going." Gun shots could be heard in the distance, making the young man anxious. Chomps seemed completely unfazed, "Alright, well safe travels, buddy."The young man nodded in appreciation to the old man before he took off in the direction of Goodsprings.

Rather than taking the highway, he was going to cut through some hills. He noticed a big white cross in the distance. Looking at his map, he noticed that if he cut straight across it would take him to Goodsprings. He nodded to himself and tucked his map in his coat pocket.

As he walked, he took in his surroundings and thought about his next move after he reached Goodsprings. His head was pounding and his stomach was growling, so he would for sure head to the saloon first thing. He hoped that the courier hadn't already left town. After being shot in the head, he really doubted that she would already be back on the dusty trail, but around here you never know.

He walked in between some hills, passing the giant white cross on his left. He noticed a sign that had nothing written on it. After he passed it and looked on the backside, he noticed a poor drawing of a Deathclaw with the words "Warning: Deathclaws Ahead!" written on it. He shook his head with a small smirk on his face. If it wasn't humans killing one another, it was the odd and terrifying creatures that roamed the Wastelands doing the job.

As he continued walking, he saw a water tower on a giant hill and to the left of that he saw some small buildings. Assuming that was Goodsprings, he kept on his way. That is, until he noticed some coyotes on his right. He glanced at them before he reached for his special .44 magnum. He shot both of the coyotes instantly and blew off his gun, feeling good about himself.

Finally, after passing over a few short hills, the town came into vision. He walked up to the town and noticed the first building on his right; Prospector Saloon. His stomach growled on cue and he walked up to the building. There was an old man sitting on the porch of the saloon. Stranger nodded at the man as he walked passed. Opening the saloon door, he heard the old man mutter something about having "so many new visitors lately."

After closing the door behind him, the young man was greeted by the sweet sounds of music coming from a jukebox. He noticed a woman sitting in a chair with a black dog sitting at her feet. He walked to his left, noticing the bar, and took a seat. The raven-haired woman who was bartending smiled at him. "Well hello stranger! My name is Trudy. Feeling thirsty?"

"I'll have just a bottle of beer," he told her, not wanting to drink anything too strong this early in the morning, "And do you by chance have any food here?" The woman smiled wider, if that was possible, "Certainly! We have banana yucca fruit, Brahmin steak, squirrel bits, gecko steak," she rambled off the whole menu. "I'll take a Brahmin steak with that beer." He was practically drooling thinking about the food. She nodded to him as she grabbed a beer from under the counter, cracked the cap off, and handed it to him. She then went to go get his food and he sat alone, listening to the music.

He was very much anticipating meeting this courier. Well not actually meeting her, but being able to put a face to the name. If things went his way, this was the woman that he was going to protect and look after for (hopefully) quite awhile.

He was ripped from his thoughts as the woman handed a plate to him with a hot, sizzling Brahmin steak on it. He licked his lips as he grabbed the silverware and began to dig in. The woman chuckled at him as she began wiping a glass with a cloth. She glanced around the saloon before speaking to him in a low voice, "So did you hear the big news?" When the young man only looked at her with a blank stare on his face, she continued, "A courier was found in the cemetery a few days ago. Poor thing had been shot in the head, but she woke up this morning. It's really quite a big deal for a small little town like this," the woman explained as she continued to wipe the glass, "I'm shocked you haven't heard anything! Do you listen to Mr. New Vegas at all?"

Wanting to seem as clueless as possible, the young man shook his head as he swallowed, "Ah, no. I tend to listen to Mojave Music Radio. I find it to be more relaxing." That was a flat out lie, but the woman didn't seem to notice. "Oh, well you should start listening to him every once in a while! The news that he broadcasts is very helpful and informative," she lectured him as he took a drink of his beer.

They sat in a comfortable silence as the young man finished his food. He let out a satisfied sigh as he pushed the plate away. Finishing the beer, he set more caps than necessary on the counter and got off the stool. "Thank you for the wonderful meal." He nodded to Trudy. "The pleasure's all mine." She told him. Normally she would have said 'safe travels' or something along those lines, but she knew nothing about this young man and what he was doing or where he was going. Which was the way he wanted it.

Stranger walked the opposite way from which he entered, noticing restrooms. He was about to use the men's restroom until he heard the front door open and the dog at the entrance barking. His interest rose quickly as he tried to sneak a glance at who had entered.

Deciding that he wasn't going to see anything from behind these walls, Stranger quickly disrobed his coat and hat, hiding them in the men's bathroom. He didn't want the courier to see him in the attire that he would be wearing day in and day out as he followed her. This way was more subtle and he seemed like just a normal guy in a saloon.

After grabbing an empty beer bottle from the bathroom garbage and filling it with water so that he didn't look obvious, he slowly wandered into the room where the women were and sat at a table. He noticed the woman with the dog, a woman with bright blonde hair, and a woman with brown hair.

He silently wondered to himself if one of them was the courier. He noticed that the blonde, a young-looking woman with her wavy hair wrapped in a red bandana, had a toddler wrapped up in a sling across her chest. He quickly assumed that the courier had to be the other woman. He glanced at her. She had shoulder-length brown hair and wore leather armor with a red bandana tied around her upper left arm. She looked like a girl that you wouldn't want to tussle with, but she was nice on the eyes.

The women began chatting. He heard mentions of a doctor and he instantly knew that the brown haired woman was the courier. She was doing the most talking and had an air about her that seemed more dominant than the blonde. She was the exact image that he had in his head for a female courier; strong, opinionated, confident.

He snapped out of his thoughts as the courier and the woman with the dog walked past him and out the back door. He saw the blonde walk into the other room, where the bar was. He slowly and quietly stood up and walked back where the restrooms were. Standing there quietly, he eavesdropped; something he was taught as a child to never to do.

"Not trying to be nosey, but is everything all right?" Trudy questioned. "Yeah," the blonde girl began, "Doc told us to visit Sunny so she could teach sis a few tricks about surviving out in the Wastes. My sister is one of the strongest people I know and she's been a courier for a few years now. For something like this to happen…" The young woman drifted off. She was obviously not comfortable with speaking about something so serious, "I just don't know. She hardly remembers anything about the package she was delivering, the person that shot her, or anything like that." The young man heard the blonde pause before she started again, "That's why I'm training to become a doctor; to help people in conditions similar to my sister's, but I still feel like I come up short. Do you have any Brahmin milk I can get for the mole rat pup, here?" She quickly tried changing the subject.

It seemed to work. Trudy snorted a laugh at the woman calling her son a mole rat pup, "Of course I do. Here ya go, darlin'," she said and Stranger assumed that the blonde was being handed a glass bottle of milk. But he couldn't see anything, so they could've been dancing on the bar top for all he knew.

"So are you gals gonna get headin' back to Novac soon?" Trudy asked. "Oh yeah, Natalya can't sit still for very long. And I'm sure she wants to hurt whoever did this to her." Hurt. Yeah, right. Stranger knew that she meant kill, but who wouldn't want revenge after something like that? The courier, Natalya as her sister had mentioned, had cheated death. She most certainly deserved revenge.

The young man could jump for joy now, knowing that the female courier was going to be traveling for quite some time and that he could get some good practice in. Even if she wasn't the one who was going to change the ways of the Mojave, at least he could prepare to protect whoever that person would be.

The sound of a back door handle jiggling open could be heard. The young man's eyes widened and he quickly hopped into the darkened men's restroom, hoping that nobody would come in after him. He held his breath until he heard the sound of footsteps go in the direction of the bar.

"Well that was quick!" He heard the blonde exclaim. The women seemed to remain silent for a few seconds, causing Stranger to gulp. They didn't know he was there, did they? No, that was silly.

"Did you, ahem, tell Natalya here about out little problem?" Trudy questioned. Problem? "No, I didn't. Did you tell Arianna?" Sunny questioned. There was no response from Trudy, but the young man assumed it was because Trudy shook her head. "Well, I just don't know how to lay news like that on to people," Sunny explained. Stranger was very confused at the moment, but little did he know, so were the sisters.

Trudy sighed before she spoke, "Well, ladies, our little town has a bit of a problem…"

_To be continued…_

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><p><em>Oh looord, this chapter took me FOREVER. I literally had it all typed, was going to post it, but luckily didn't. Then a few days passed and I was like, "What did I type? Seriously?" So I had to retype everything because my first version was sooo wonky. So if there are any mistakes here, please PM me about them, because I literally got sick of re-reading this so many times.<em>

_**UGH**_

_As usual, PM me with any questions or suggestions!_


	4. Tumbling Dice

_SOOOOOOOOOO sorry I haven't added to this story in forever! I've been so busy with my new job. But blah, blah, enough about me! I promise from now on to try to update monthly! Ooonnn with the chapter:  
><em>

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><p>Trudy sighed and told the sisters the story of Ringo, a survivor of a Powder Ganger attack. She explained how the Powder Gangers were, for some strange reason, after Ringo. Whether it was for revenge or because the Gangers didn't want to let Ringo escape, Trudy had no clue and she honestly didn't want to know.<p>

After hearing all of these and the details of everything that would be going down for this brawl, Stranger decided that it was his time to scoot out of town. He didn't need to stay and risk being spotted. And besides, almost everyone in Goodsprings would be participating in this fight, so he was positive that nothing would happen to the courier. Especially with the fact that her sister was a medic and not to mention the fact that Doc Mitchell was obviously a very good doctor…

He could go on and on with the reasons as to why he didn't need to stay, but he didn't dwell on the fact. The courier would be surrounded by plenty of people to assist her and that's all that mattered.

After replacing his trench coat and hat, he darted out stealthily and took a look at his map when he was out of sight from the town. He decided that he would go to Primm and hide out in one of the abandoned buildings there. It was obvious that this was the way that the sisters would have to travel, but as to when they actually got there was the hard part. He would just have to keep an eye out for them, while at the same time he would have to stay out of sight of the citizens there. Being from the Primm area, he knew that it would be difficult to sneak in unnoticed. But at the same time, he had an advantage to being familiar with the surroundings.

He reached a small building on the highway that was labeled Jean Free Fall Jump on his map when he realized that he could just climb the fence in Primm, behind the Bison Hotel. It was a good place to stay concealed and he could even wait until it was darker before he attempted to sneak into one of the buildings.

It was hard, now, for random people to enter Primm without being approached by the new sheriff. Stranger himself had helped recruit this man, Meyers was his name. When the town of Primm was being taken over by Powder Gangers, it was decided that the town needed a sheriff, and Stranger was more than willing to help this cause. It was one of his most recent missions that he participated in to help himself become a better fighter.

The mission was simple; enter the NCR Correctional Facility in a disguise and get Meyers to come back to Primm and be the sheriff. Well, Stranger decided to do this without the disguise. He decided that he needed the target practice.

Chuckling at the memory, Stranger lit up a cigarette. The Powder Gangers hadn't seen him coming. He was very stealthy, especially considering the fact that his gun never did get the greatest range. There was a few times where it was a few of the men on him at once, but he handled the situation with grace. He then went in the facility, talked Meyers instantly into coming back to Primm and all was well.

Stranger was getting closer to Primm, so he decided to cut east so that he could go forward with his plan. As he took a drag from his cigarette, he thought about the two women and toddler that he'd just become acquainted with.

He was quickly pulled from his thoughts when a random man started hollering at him. "Hey! Hey you! I need help! My girl is stuck up on that ridge and those geckos are going to kill her!" Stranger slowly turned to see a frantic man running towards him. He let out a puff of smoke in the man's face, causing him to let out a cough. "So? Maybe you should go help her then," Stranger told the man and turned back around. It was obvious this guy was a druggie. His eyes, his behavior; all signs pointed to a druggie.

"Hey! I asked you nicely! You probably have a gun and could easily take them out. And here poor, little, old me is stuck without any kind of weapon…" Stranger looked past the man and noticed a campfire from the direction that the man had came from. "You have a campfire back there. I'm sure you have a piece of wood or something in there that you can use as a weapon," Stranger remarked and flicked his cigarette at the man's feet.

"Whatever. Fuck you too, man," the man sighed and finally gave up, leaving Stranger alone. It then occurred to Stranger that the man would probably bother the courier. So he quickly turned, aimed at the man's head, and fired. It wasn't a very noble thing to do, but the last thing those two women had to deal with was some drugged-up asshole harassing them.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, after all of the traveling, hopping the fence, and waiting for it to be dark, the sky was finally getting dim. Stranger had been sitting on a dumpster behind the hotel, waiting for a good moment to sneak out for about 4 hours now. He was hungry and bored, but this job required a lot of patience.<p>

He decided to peak out from behind the hotel. He saw some residents exiting the Vicki and Vance Casino to go home for the night. He shrugged when he saw the last people disappear behind closed doors.

He decided that he would hide in the building next to the Nash residence; two of the most popular people in town. It was a good way to also see who entered and exited the town. He was almost positive that the sisters would stop in Primm and stay for the night, if they hadn't already.

After reaching the abandoned and roofless building, he carefully climbed the stairs and set his things on the ground. He would have to try to get comfortable and get at least a few hours of sleep. He would be pretty useless if he was a walking zombie.

* * *

><p>When Stranger cracked his eyes open, it was to the sound of voices talking excitedly. The sun was already up. If there was one weakness that Stranger had to conquer, it was the fact that he adored sleep a little too much.<p>

He rubbed his eyes as he focused on the voices, "…really keep it?" He heard a voice question. He recognized it as the blonde's voice. "Yes, yes please! I could never get that heap of metal to work. He's all yours now," a voice that he knew belonged to Johnson Nash responded. Stranger was curious about what they could be talking about. He peeked through a hole in the wall and noticed that there was a robot hovering near the women. It was a very odd looking robot; nothing like he had seen before.

"Awesome! I guess learning how to repair stuff from dad really paid off, huh Nat?" The blonde questioned her sister. So the courier knew how to repair things. What couldn't this woman do? "Well a little extra company couldn't hurt, I suppose," the courier shrugged and then motioned to the bridge that lead into the town, "Let's get going, shall we?"

Stranger watched as the women, toddler, and robot began on the journey. He slowly gathered his things and waited until the old man had left the area so that he could safely sneak out. When the coast was clear, he swiftly made his way out of the abandoned building and cut through an area where there were a few small houses.

He was going to try to be a few steps ahead of these women. He figured that their next stop would be to Nipton. Since he lived right in-between Primm and Nipton, he knew an excellent way to sneak into Nipton.

Stranger continued on a path that led to Nipton; behind the town hall. It was the best way to sneak into the town without being noticed. Suddenly, he stopped. He noticed smoke rising up from the town and instantly felt his heart drop. No, he shouldn't make any assumptions. The town would be fine, everyone was ok.

But on the other hand, it was quite a lot of smoke. It would take a lot of wood or whatever was being burned to create that much smoke. Stranger picked up his pace, keeping his eyes focused on his home, far off in the distance. He let out a relieved sigh when he realized it was still standing and in good shape. Well, at least in as good shape as when he had left it.

Glancing to his right, he noticed the courier and robot shooting some Fiends while the blonde and the toddler stayed back. They were near a building called the Nevada Highway Patrol Station, a place that Stranger had roamed to often as a child.

After the group had finished off all of the Fiends, they walked into the building. _Probably trying to scrounge up ammo and other things that they could sell_, Stranger thought. He decided to go ahead and figure out what was going on in Nipton.

Approaching the town, he could smell burning flesh. This was not good. He counted him and his family very, _very_ lucky that this raid hadn't hit their home. Living on the outskirts of towns wasn't always a bad thing, he supposed.

He stayed behind the town hall and the surrounding fence, peeking out from time to time. He needed to keep his eyes on the courier and her party, as well as the town to make sure his presence wasn't known.

* * *

><p>"Well this place is always interesting, isn't it?" Arianna remarked after Natalya and ED-E had finished off some giant ants. Natalya scoffed as she nodded her head toward Nipton, "Yea, I guess that's one word for it. You never get bored, that's for sure." The courier told her sister as she walked past her and towards Nipton.<p>

"Wait!" Arianna hollered, causing her sister to turn to face her. "What's up there?" Arianna pointed at two huge statues that appeared to be shaking hands.

"It's just a trading post. It's out of the way and we don't need to go there," Natalya frowned, eyeing her sister. "You didn't want to go there, did you?"

Arianna shook her head, "No, I was just curious what it was. You can tell I've never been this side of Novac, huh?" Natalya gave her sister a smirk and a quick nod as she turned and headed off towards Nipton again.

Finally noticing the smoke, the courier furrowed her eyebrows. Something was wrong here. She held her arm out, motioning her sister to stop. "Now I know you don't travel much, but I'm sure even you know this isn't normal for any town out there, no matter how weird the place is."

They continued to walk at a snail's pace, until they saw a man and a woman fighting in the distance. "Umm…" Arianna pointed to them. Natalya snorted, "Beautiful relationship they have," she commented. Suddenly they saw the man pull a gun on the woman and shoot her. Arianna screamed, raising her hands over her son as Natalya quickly moved in front of her sister.

The man bent down to pick something off of the woman. When he stood, he saw the women and the robot standing there. He held his arms up, "Did you see that? That crazy bitch tried to kill me. All of those stupid star bottle caps." Natalya scrunched her nose at the man. He was fighting the woman just as much. "Oh yea, good thing you killed her over something so important," Natalya remarked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"What the hell? I was just trying to defend myself! She was going to kill me, I know!" The man started explaining, getting a little antsy and carried away. He went to reach for his gun, but before the sisters could even bat an eye, the man fell face first into the dirt.

The sisters stood there in silence. Natalya looked at the man, her mouth agape. Arianna stared, her eye wide open as her arms still covered her child. ED-E let out some beeping noises as if to say "Uh, oh!" A warm breeze blew over the group as they stood in silence.

After standing there for a few seconds, trying to comprehend everything, Natalya finally moved. She walked towards the man's body and looked him over. A .44 magnum round was lodged in the back of his head. "What…?" Arianna began, still a bit speechless as her sister stood. The courier looked all around them, trying to figure out who shot the man.

"Looks like someone with a .44 magnum killed him before I could," Natalya remarked as she turned to her sister. "That's odd. Do things like this happen often when you travel?" Arianna asked, genuinely curious. Natalya shook her head, "Nope. Usually I kill first. Never had something like that happen before. We'll just assume it was…well I'm not sure what to blame this on, but let's just keep moving."

It was incredibly unsettling to Natalya to just let this situation lie, but she couldn't possibly imagine who could make a long-ranged shot like that with such a gun.

The group slowly started making their way up to Nipton, but not before Arianna grabbed the bottle cap necklace from the man's corpse, sticking her tongue out at him.

In the distance, Stranger smirked as he hid behind the town hall building.

* * *

><p><em>Yes, so...two things to explain;<em>

_Stranger's house is located between Primm and Nipton; I'm thinking where Jack Rabbit Spring is, only it obviously won't be hella infested with radiation and centaurs. This way his house is up on a hill, kind of hidden away. I wanted his families' house to be in a somewhat safe place._

_And yes, I didn't have my characters go to the outpost. It's out of the way and I just don't really see what would possess someone to go up there (unless you're actually playing the game and wandering, but y'know...) I **do **want to involve Cass somehow, I'm just not sure how I'm gonna do it...wait! I have an idea...  
><em>

_So I hope you all enjoyed this. As usual, please message me with any questions, suggestions, or mistakes!  
><em>


	5. Four Horsemen

_Well looky here! A chapter out so soon after the last one? Yeah, I'm sick as a dog and this is one of the only things I have to occupy me while everyone else is at work or sleeping. ._._

_Ok anyways, so I should have mentioned something about this before, but Victor (Mr. House's bitc-er, I mean Securitron) is in this story just like he is in the game; nothing more, nothing less. I just didn't mention him because 1) the last chapter was mainly Stranger's POV and 2) we've all played the game and know the role that Victor plays in it, so I don't think I really need to re-write any of that stuff._

_Shout out to all my reviewers! (That includes my secret ones, too!) Thank you all for your opinions! I love you all! :)_

* * *

><p>The small group continued walking up the broken highway to Nipton. Natalya had noticed a while back that something wasn't right. The town had smoke rising up from it and the air reeked of death. But whatever was going on in the town didn't matter; she was positive that she and the robot could take out whatever threatened their little group.<p>

Red flags adorned with bulls hung from poles. It was obvious that the Legion was responsible for this mess. "Battle cattle," Arianna muttered under her breath. Natalya nodded in agreement.

When they had almost stepped into the borders of the town, a frantic man wearing glasses and Powder Ganger clothes came running towards them. Arianna let out an aggravated sigh as she covered Jace once again. Natalya had moved slightly in front of her sister, waiting to see what the man wanted.

"Yea! Who won the lottery? I did!" The man exclaimed. The sisters stared at him, clearly confused. He paid them no mind. "Smell that air! Couldn't you just drink it like booze?" He exclaimed, letting out an obnoxious laugh.

The sisters looked at each other, confused. "Um, are you feeling all right?" Natalya questioned as she looked back at the man. She looked him over, making sure he had no weapons.

"Are you kidding me? Never felt better!" The man responded, glancing back towards Nipton. He seemed very anxious.

"What kind of lottery did you win?" Arianna questioned. Natalya gave her sister a puzzled look. Realizing how bizarre her question was, Arianna spoke before the man could answer, "Wait, are you on drugs or something?"

"What? No! And what do you mean 'What lottery'? _**The**_ lottery! Are you two stupid?" He scoffed, shaking his head at the group. "The only lottery that matters." Inhaling deeply, he muttered, "God, smell that air…"

Natalya let out an annoyed grunt as her sister lowered her hands from her child and placed them on her hips. It was obvious that this guy wasn't much of a threat. "One last question," Natalya began, "Are you a Powder Ganger?"

"Well I used to be," he shrugged, "But now I'm a big winner! I don't need those losers anymore!"

"I see. Well have a nice day, you 'big winner'," Natalya dismissed the man.

"Bye!" He said as he began to run away from the group.

As Arianna and ED-E went to continue towards Nipton, Natalya quickly turned, drawing her 10 mm submachine gun out from where it was strapped on her back and fired three shots, shooting the man before he could make it far.

Arianna let out a shriek from the noise as she quickly covered her son's ears. "Nat! Really? What gives?" She turned around to glare at her sister. Natalya shrugged as she secured her weapon back in its spot, "He was a Powder Ganger. They aren't very nice people. I thought you knew this?" She challenged her sister. Arianna quickly backed down, not wanting to start a fight with her sister, "Sorry, it just seemed a bit uncalled for. It wasn't like he was a threat; he had no weapons."

"I'm not going to start explaining myself to you, all right? I just didn't see much of a point in letting him live," Natalya began walking past her sister and ED-E. She stopped again as she turned her head slightly over her shoulder, "And, like you said, he had no weapons. Therefore he couldn't defend himself out there. I probably did him a favor by killing him quickly."

Arianna stood as she watched her sister walk into the burning town. ED-E looked back and forth between the girls and soon followed after Natalya. "So this is what you've become?" Arianna muttered to herself as she looked at the sky.

She closed her eyes as she sighed deeply. _She got shot in the head. How would you behave if that happened to you?_ Arianna's eyes shot open as she shivered at that thought. But she kept repeating the thought in her head. It was the only way she could accept her sister's hasty and rather vulgar behavior.

She quickly began to follow after her sister and the robot.

* * *

><p>Stranger had moved from behind the town hall to some houses closer to the entrance of the town. He wanted to try to keep a closer eye on the courier. As he was moving from building to building, he noticed a man come up and talk to the girls.<p>

He kept his eyes on the Legion members until he got behind the last building. Realizing he was out of sight, his eyes went back to the group; right in time for him to see the courier shoot the man that had just been talking to them in the back of the head.

Stranger's eyebrows furrowed at the sight. He hadn't expected the courier to make a move such as that, especially not in front of her sister and nephew.

He watched the sister's argue before the courier took off. The robot followed soon after, leaving the blonde all to herself with her child. Realizing she was taking some time to collect her thoughts, Stranger decided to move to a different building to get a better look at the courier.

He had gotten behind a two-story building that looked to be a general goods store. It was hard to get a good view with the blonde standing where she was, but luckily she had caught up with the courier, giving Stranger a chance to move closer to them.

He noticed the group was just standing in front of the store. The courier looked around and finally turned to her sister, "Ok, here's the deal. I want you to hide in this building. This place is swarming with Legion members. They're men, they're horny, and if they see a pretty girl like you with a baby _boy_, they'll snatch you up in an instant."

"Wha-?" The blonde began as her sister grabbed her by the shoulders and quickly twisted her around. Stranger ducked quickly so he wasn't noticed. "Horny guys. Defenseless pretty girl that has a son. And a whole army that is only men. That sum it up for you, Ria?" The courier flung the door to the store open and threw her sister in. The blonde let out a yelp as her sister slammed the door behind her. Finding a barrel, the courier quickly propped it against the door so that her sister couldn't escape.

Stranger noticed the courier say something to the robot and decided to move, going towards the back of the building he was hiding behind. He made his way towards the town hall again, hiding behind small houses, his eyes on the courier the whole time.

* * *

><p>"Jesus Nat, I get it!" Arianna exclaimed as she was thrown in the building. Jace let out an angry cry as his mother bounced him, trying to calm him down. "It's all right. You're aunt is just paranoid," Arianna sighed, looking around the dark, dusty room.<p>

The building they occupied was obviously a store. It had items on shelves, ranging from food to ammo. Arianna looked around more and saw a register, sacks probably filled with food, a body in a chair, a gun ca-

Arianna whipped her head back to look at the body. She squinted her eyes, trying to get a better look in the dark room. Looking towards the windows, she saw they were caked with dust. Looking back at the body, she took a hesitant step forward.

"Goddammit!" The body exclaimed, moving as though the person were waking up. Arianna let a scream out and jumped back towards the door. "I was nodding off until you barged in here. And I don't hurt when I'm sleeping," the man explained, obviously irritated with her presence. "Look, just give me some goddamn Med-X and fuck off, will ya?"

Arianna stared at the man. Why should she fork over her Med-X to someone so rude? She decided not to voice this thought, however, and took a different route, "What in the world happened to this town? I have to assume it wasn't always like this…"

The man scoffed, "The goddamn Legion happened. What the fuck's it look like?"

"How did you survive? The Legion isn't known for sparing people's lives."

So the man explained the whole story to her, from the lottery, to the way the town used to be.

* * *

><p>"Ok ED-E, we need to go in as easy as possible. If there are still Legion members here, don't start attacking or do anything to provoke them," Natalya explained to the robot as she turned the radio off on her Pip-Boy. They made their way around the corner, only to be greeted by the sight of men hanging from wooden crosses.<p>

Natalya shook her head. She may not remember much after being shot in the head, but she certainly could remember how brutal the Legion members are.

As they continued walking, some dogs made their way out of a large building, followed by some Legion members. One of them, who was wearing a dog head as some sort of battle helmet, approached the courier.

"Don't worry. I won't have you lashed to a cross like the rest of these degenerates. It's useful that you happened by," his voice was silky, but dangerous. "I want you to witness the fate of the town of Nipton. To memorize every detail. And then, when you move on? I want you to teach everyone you meet the lesson that Caesar's Legion taught here, especially any NCR troops you run across."

Natalya quirked her brow. She absolutely hated both NCR and Legion. But she wasn't about to tell this odd man that. "Oh? What 'lessons' did you teach here?"

The man breathed in, "Where to begin?"

Natalya stood and listened to the man until he was finished explaining his side of the story.

This man really seemed to think he did this town a favor by having his men slaughter all that lived here. Natalya knew the people that occupied this town certainly weren't innocent, but what gave the Legion the right to murder them all?

True, she had just murdered a man that had been spared, but where was the man to go? He wouldn't have made it far with this area being infested with Radscorpions, Fiends, and the NCR troops patrolling around the trading post.

After the man was done talking, Natalya simply told him that she would spread the word of the Legion to all. It was a flat out lie; she had no interest in telling a soul, but at least it seemed to make the man happy. Natalya knew better than to get on people's bad sides. You never know when you might run into that person again, and it was better to be on good terms with them then bad.

After the Legion was finally away from the area, Natalya turned around to go get her sister.

* * *

><p>"Ok, here are two Med-X's, but that's all I'm giving you. These things aren't cheap, you know?" Arianna handed the man the drugs. She figured it was the least she could do after making him tell her such a long story.<p>

"Whatever, better than nothing I guess," he took the syringes and looked up at Arianna's face, "Did you know that five Med-X will knock someone out and twenty is enough to kill a person?" Arianna gave him an interested look, "Really? I never knew the exact numbers, but I figured it was around that area. I'm studying to become a medic. It's kind of hard with the lack of-"

The door to the building flew open and Natalya looked at her sister, then to the man. "This guy bothering you?" Arianna shook her head, "No, he's fine. Err, well not _fine_ but…as fine as he can be in his current condition."

"Current condition?" Natalya gave the man another look. "His legs are broken," Arianna pointed out. "I won second place in the lottery," the man explained, shrugging.

"I see. Well, here, don't want to leave you stranded," Natalya pulled out a 9 mm pistol. Arianna made a noise as she closed her eyes tightly and placed her hands over Jace's ears, expecting to hear a bang.

When nothing happened, she slowly opened her eyes to see the gun in the man's hands. Natalya shrugged, "Just in case you can't take the pain." She walked out the door, motioning for her sister to follow. Arianna gave the man one last sympathetic look before following her sister.

The girls and robot made their way through the remains of the destroyed town in silence.

* * *

><p>Stranger, who was very impressed by the courier's patience and calm attitude towards the Legion, began to follow the party.<p>

He decided to take the high road, instead of following directly behind the group. He would go up towards his house, and watch from high up on the hills. It was a perfect plan.

As he walked past the crucified bodies, he rummaged through their pockets, in search of cigarettes. It wasn't a very noble thing to do, but hey-the cigarettes weren't going to be used by anyone else, so why not take them?

He began to walk to the north, behind the town hall. He stood under an old water tower as he took a cigarette out and placed it between his lips. He looked in the distance towards his house as he lit it and inhaled. Looking at the lighter, he smirked.

"_Ok, this is a present I got for you. I'm not trying to encourage your smoking, but it's obvious you won't be stopping anytime soon," the young woman shrugged as she handed Stranger the lighter._

_Taking it, he noticed it had the Nuka-Cola logo on it. It was a little worn looking, but as he flicked it open, he realized it still worked as though it were new. This was clearly a pre-war item. "Where did you find this?"_

"_Some trader that came by the house had it on him. As soon as he showed me it, I knew I had to get it for you. Especially since I didn't have anything else to give you for your birthday!" The young woman giggled as Stranger gave her a hug._

"_Thanks, sis." _

He snapped the lighter shut and glanced at his house one more time before realizing that he had to move. He jumped off the ledge and started towards some train tracks, then headed up some more hills.

He tried to remain up in the hills and quite a distance behind the group the whole journey. He knew they were headed to Novac and, having traveled there a few times himself, knew that it wouldn't be too long of a walk.

As he continued to follow the group, he noticed a man following behind from a distance. The man didn't seem like a threat, but after following them for a good mile or so, Stranger was starting to get a little confused. He allowed the man to live, though, hoping he wouldn't regret it.

* * *

><p><em>Yay, chapter 5. That was probably my favorite chapter so far. Honestly, I think they're just going to get better and better. (Hopefully!) <em>

_If someone wants an explanation for the chapter names, PM me. I'll be more than happy to explain them to you!  
><em>

_The italics at towards the end of the chapter is something from Stranger's past…just in case someone didn't pick up on that!_

_Ok, so Natalya's reason behind hiding her sister from the Legion: sorry if anyone really adores Legion, but to me they are just a bunch of horny, mean bullies. I mean, they have no women in their tribe, so that (to me) equals horny. (or gay. not bashing on gays, at all, just stating a fact.) And the mention of Arianna's son, Jace, would be in reference to the men thing again; I can imagine that the Legion would want women who can 'produce boy babies'. So that's what that whole part was about. And the fact that I wanted Arianna to be the one to talk to Boxcars!  
><em>

_And one last note; I'm in the process of having one of my favorite artists on dA do a commission for me. And the commission is to have my characters from this story drawn! I'm so excited, but she's suuper busy, so I don't expect the picture for quite some time. If anyone else wants to do some fanart, feel free! Just let me know, cause I wanna see! lol!_

_As usual, PM me any questions, typos, or suggestions! _


	6. House of Cards

_Ok,well remember when I said that the chapters would get better and better? I hate this one. :|_

_lol! But who knows, maybe a few people will like it!_

_Anyways, here's the next chapter!_

* * *

><p>The rest of the journey to their hometown was pretty quiet, besides the sweet sounds of Radio New Vegas playing on Natalya's Pip-Boy. There were a few mole rats, but they didn't even seem to notice the group.<p>

"What the hell? These things are usually always bothering me," Natalya commented about the little pests. "They are so cute! Especially the pups," Arianna said as she looked at some on a ledge above them. Natalya scoffed at her sister, "Whatever you say." They continued to follow the highway, passing traveling merchants and Legion recruits as the sun began to set.

When they saw Ranger Station Charlie in the distance, Arianna let out a squeal, "Almost home now!" The blonde began to walk faster down the hill towards the station.

"Hello there!" A voice greeted the group. They all turned around to see an older man who was dressed like a caravan trader following them. "It's nice to see some friendly faces. Name's Malcolm. Malcolm Holmes."

"Hello, nice to meet you, too," Arianna greeted the man. Natalya nodded at him. ED-E beeped as a greeting.

"I don't suppose you ladies have anything to trade? I'm missing a few essential and-oh, screw this," The man shook his head, "Lying just ain't in my nature. I'll tell it to you straight; I've been following y'all for a good bit now."

"What? Why the hell have you been following us?" Natalya asked the man, a bit annoyed.

"Now, now, it started off innocently enough. I was traveling and happened to observe you," he pointed to Arianna, "Wearing a necklace of those blue star caps." Natalya looked at her sister and glared. "What? That guy killed that woman over these things. I just figured they were expensive or something," the blonde shrugged as she pulled the necklace out from where she had it tucked under her shirt.

The man eyed the necklace and nodded, "Yep, those little gems. Neither of you women know what you got your hands on, do you?" Natalya looked at the caps around her sister's neck, then back to the man, "So you couldn't have told us when you saw her grab the necklace? You follow us for a few miles and _then_ decide to tell us?"

"Hey, hey, I just had to check your disposition! There are a lot of jumpy people out here that will shoot a man as soon as you start talking to them," the man looked at Natalya. He was clearly talking about when she shot the Powder Ganger.

"Anyways, now that we're conversing, I can tell you everything I know about those caps…"

* * *

><p>Stranger continued to head through the hills, until he started running out of hills to travel on, near a Ranger Station. He looked toward the group to see that the man that had been following them had finally approached them. He still didn't seem to be a threat, and even looked to be having a pleasant conversation with the girls.<p>

When Stranger noticed the blonde pull out a necklace with some blue star caps, he realized what the man was talking to them about; the legend of the star bottle caps. It was a tale that his father had told him when he was younger. Since that day, he had always kept an eye out for the special caps, but certainly didn't go out of his way for them.

As the man explained the story to the group, Stranger decided to run back a ways, and take the long way around to Novac, to avoid being seen.

* * *

><p>"Thank you for the information, sir," Natalya began as she glanced up at the sky. The sun was almost gone and the Mojave got awfully violent at night. She looked at her sister, "We really need to get going now."<p>

"No problem, ladies. But if you do end up trying to collect more stars, watch out for a man named Allen Marks. He's killed his fair share of people for their stars caps," the man warned the women. He then smiled and waved, "Well goodbye ladies. Maybe I'll run into you all again someday." With that he turned and began up the hill.

As the group began walking towards Novac, Arianna found herself staring at the caps around her neck, "I really wonder what this treasure could be," she thought aloud. Natalya shrugged, obviously not too impressed with the caps or their story. "He said the treasure is from before the war. Just imagine the possibilities…"

Natalya was very tempted to cut her sister's daydreaming off, but instead she remained quiet. They were almost home now and she didn't want to start any fights.

* * *

><p>After taking a detour to Novac, Stranger found himself face to face with the familiar giant dinosaur that was the landmark in Novac.<p>

Luckily, to avoid being narrowed in on by the sniper hiding in the dinosaur's mouth, he had found a travelling merchant who was also on her way to Novac. She had run into a gang of Viper's and Stranger had showed up just in time to assist her. He quietly escorted her the rest of the way to Novac.

"Thank you for your help. I know most merchants have guards with them, but I just can't afford one right now. It's nice to see some people don't mind giving a friendly hand to others in need," the woman told Stranger as they stood near the Novac sign. He nodded in agreement.

"Here. This is all I can give you right now," she grabbed a bottle of whiskey and a bag of potato crisps out of her bag and handed it to him. He was going to refuse, but found himself to be quite thirsty and hungry. "Thank you," he told her as he took the items.

After they split ways, Stranger looked around the small town, wondering which house the sisters lived in. At the same time, he wondered where he was going to sleep, when the courier was going to leave, and how he was going to keep an eye on her. He sighed at his conundrum as he rubbed his temples.

Popping a cigarette into his mouth and lighting it, he decided to hide behind what appeared to be an old gas station. It looked to be a mechanic shop now. As he stepped closer, he saw a sign with the words "Vinny's Repair Shop" wrote on it.

Stepping to the backside of the building, he sat on the dusty ground and looked towards the sky. The stars were beginning to come out for the night. Opening his bottle of whiskey, Stranger motioned a 'cheers' with his bottle towards the sky and took a big swig of the poison.

* * *

><p>As the sisters stepped into their house, the smell of home-cooked food hit them instantly. Mouths watering, they attempted to walk towards the kitchen, before they were cut off, "Excuse me!" Their mother's voice echoed through the house. The girls turned slowly around to see their mother, Joanie, standing in her bedroom doorway, hands on her hips. "Sit down. Now!" She pointed at the couch as she took Jace from Arianna.<p>

The back door opened and their father, Vincent, walked in, "What the hell is all the noise-oh," he noticed his daughters sitting on the couch. "Well look what the mole rat dragged in!"

The sisters shrunk into the cushions of the couch. Forget Deathclaws, Cazadores, or any other frightening creature that wandered the Wastes; angry parents were by far the scariest creatures in the world.

It was quiet as the parents glared at their misfit daughters. "Hi guys. Miss me?" Natalya attempted to break the silence. Joanie snorted, "Oh the whole Mojave knows that my baby was shot in the head-"

"Well at least they know not to mess with her now," Vincent piped in. Joanie glared at her husband. The toddler in her arms began to start fussing, so she bounced him on her hip. "And you-" she pointed at Arianna, "What in the _hell_ were you thinking, running around the Wastes with your baby?"

Natalya looked at her sister with a smug look on her face. Arianna rolled her eyes, "Sorry. I didn't want to leave him with you guys. I felt bad about it," she began to explain. Then something clicked and she glared at both of her parents, "And besides, if I told you I was going to go meet up with Nat, you guys wouldn't have let me anyways. You never let me go anywhere!"

"And we have our reasons. Now get cleaned up, girls; we're eating supper soon," Joanie waved her children off. Arianna jumped up in front of her sister and darted for the bathroom, slamming the door. "Whatever," Natalya shook her head as she made her way towards the bedroom that she and Arianna once shared, back when she still lived at this house.

She slowly opened the door and was instantly reminded of more innocent times from her childhood. Times when she thought Novac was a big city. Times when her parents were always there to protect her. Times when she couldn't even imagine the _idea_ of getting shot in the head, with every intention of being murdered.

She sighed, laying on her bed and closing her eyes for a few minutes. She heard someone walk into the room, but kept her eyes closed. "It seems like such a long time ago, doesn't it?" Her mother's voiced asked, as if she could read her daughter's mind.

"Yeah," Natalya agreed as she opened her eyes and sat up. She saw that her mother was sitting on the bed across the room, Jace sleeping next to her. "I'm leaving tomorrow morning." Joanie nodded her head slowly as she looked out the window. "I figured as much. You have mine and your father's blood. Can't sit still for lo-"

"Not like that," Natalya shook her head, "I'm going after the guys that did this."

Her mother looked a bit shocked. After a moment of silence had passed, she spoke, "Oh. Do you even know where they're going? Or where they are?" Natalya remained quiet before she got an idea. She stood up quickly, "I'm going to the shop to ask Cliff if he's seen anyone in a checkered coat come through here."

"A checkered coat?" Joanie questioned as she stood up and began to follow her daughter to the front door. "Yea, a robot in Goodsprings told me that he had seen a guy in a checkered suit and some people that he thought looked like Great Khans do this to me."

After shutting the door, Joanie blinked a few times. "A robot…?"

* * *

><p>Natalya made her way over to the Dino Bite Gift Shop where a man named Cliff worked as the store cashier. He recently also gained the title of hotel manager, since the last one was 'accidently' sniped.<p>

Natalya claimed to know nothing of this incident, though.

Realizing that it was closing time soon, she ran the rest of the way, quickly opening the door. "Hello, welcome to-Oh!" Cliff began to greet the customer until he realized just who it was, "Well if it isn't our hometown hero! You're all over the news, little lady. But I'm sure you're already aware of that."

Natalya nodded to the man, "Oh I've heard. Mom let me know as soon as I walked in the door," she joked. Cliff laughed, "Well that's a mother's job. Anyways, I'm sure you came here for something, right?"

"Yes, actually, I'm wondering if you saw a man in a checkered coat stop by recently?" Natalya asked. Cliff sat in thought for a moment before answering, "You know, I believe I did. I could tell he wasn't from around here from the way he talked and acted. And the guys he was with seemed to get along with Manny. You might wanna ask him to see if he knows anything more because that's all I can tell you."

"Thank you, Cliff," Natalya remarked as she began to leave. "Oh, wait, do you have any ammo I can buy off of you?"

* * *

><p>Arianna slammed the bathroom door behind her and leaned against it, closing her eyes. She slowly slid down the door until she was sitting on the ground.<p>

She remained this way until she heard the front door shut. She slowly opened her eyes and stood up. Placing herself in front of the sink, she began to rinse her face off.

As she was drying her face off with a towel, she heard a knock at the bathroom door. "Yes?" She asked, annoyed. "It's me," he dad began, "Come for a walk with me." Opening the door, she saw her father looking down at her. She sighed and nodded, heading for the front door.

They walked in silence towards her father's repair shop. When they were standing under the canopy of the abandoned gas station, Vincent decided to speak to his youngest daughter, "Arianna," he began, sighing, "You have to understand where you're mother and I are coming from…"

* * *

><p>After finishing his whiskey and potato crisps, Stranger had nodded off for a bit. When he heard some voices nearby, his eyes snapped open and he quickly looked around. Remembering where he was, he decided to get closer to the owners of the voices.<p>

Sneaking around the side of the building and hiding behind a garbage can, he peeked to see the courier's blonde sister talking with an older man.

"…just afraid if you run off again, it's going to be just like the last time. Or worse."

The blonde shook her head, "That's still not a good reason to be so overprotective! You guys have no problem when Natalya leaves home."

"When Nat leaves home, it's because she's going somewhere to work," the man, Stranger assumed to be the sisters' father, seemed to wince at his own words. "_Noble_ work, might I add."

Arianna let out an agitated sigh, "You and mom just don't know how to let things lie, do you? That's all in the past! Sorry for being young and adventurous."

"Arianna, there's a fine line between being adventurous and being a…well..." he was clearly struggling for the right word.

The blonde scowled at her father as she quickly turned, "I'm done talking." She began to walk in the direction that Stranger assumed was their house. He kept his eyes on the blonde so he could see which house she was going to.

After seeing her slam the door on a house, he realized that had to be it. He saw the man follow soon after.

Walking to the back of the building, Stranger noticed a robot cruising down the broken highway towards the middle of the town. He watched as the courier walked away from the dinosaur and approached the robot.

He tried to listen in on the conversation as much as possible, but the distance proved to be too great.

Settling back into his little makeshift sleeping area, Stranger sat on the ground, leaning against the building. It didn't take long for him to fall into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

><p><em>So for once I don't have a huge list of stuff to explain! Feels weird leaving such small author's notes…<em>

_As always PM me with any questions, suggestions, or errors. Don't forget to review!_


	7. Up the Ante

_Finally I get to post this chapter! I haven't been getting any free time lately…_

_I just would like to take a moment to reassure all of the readers that this story __**does**__ have a plot and __**is**__ going somewhere. And also, I don't plan on ever abandoning it; it's just that my free time is very limited._

_Anyways, awesome news; Two of the four commissions I've requested have been completed! I will post them on my profile for everyone to view!_

_Enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

><p>It was very early in the morning when Natalya decided to wake up. She had to talk to Manny and she wanted to catch the snipers as they were swapping shifts, so she didn't have to disturb him later.<p>

She quietly shut the door to the bedroom and walked through the living room to the front door. She opened and shut the front door, quickly making her way outside towards the dinosaur.

As she turned and walked past the gate, she saw the two walking past each other by the dinosaur's tail. "Oh! Manny, wait!"

The owner of the name turned to face her, giving her a curious look as she approached him. Even Boone, the other sniper, who was normally very nonchalant, was giving her an odd look. She nodded, "Right, shot in the head. I'm fine, guys. But Manny, I need your help. Have you seen a guy in a checkered coat?"

Manny didn't even miss a beat, "Sure, I know him. What do you want with him?"

Natalya gawked at him. There was no way Manny knew that this man had attempted to kill her. "W-well I…is he a friend of yours?"

"Nah, not Benny. But he was traveling with some members from my old gang. They said they were going to Boulder City."

"I see," Natalya replied, not sure what to say to him.

Boone could tell there was definitely something on her mind, "Why's this guy so important?"

"…He's the man that shot me," Natalya deadpanned. There was no easy way to get around the fact. Boone nodded slightly while Manny's eyebrows shot up, "Whoa. Well…ain't that something. Glad to have helped you, Natalya. But I'd just appreciate it if you didn't kill my buddies," Manny nodded to her as he continued the walk to his job.

Boone stared at Natalya as she turned around, "Well, I guess I'm off to Boulder City then," she remarked. Whether she was thinking aloud or talking to Boone, she wasn't sure. She suddenly stopped, remembering words that Boone had told her a long time ago, shortly after he figured out what happened to his wife.

Turning around, she saw Boone still standing there, watching her. "You should come with me," she began. When he had no reaction to the idea, she added, "You told me once you didn't want to stay here. That still remains true, right?"

Boone stood in thought for a moment. She did have a point and he _had_ said that to her. Things had been awfully tense between him and others in Novac since his wife's death due to the betrayal of Jeannie May. And travelling the Mojave would be just like old times with the NCR, only this was a chance to make up for past mistakes. "Give me a few hours to get some shut eye and I'll be ready."

Natalya smiled and nodded at him. She turned, heading back home with bounce in her step.

* * *

><p>Stranger slowly came to, rubbing his eyes. He stood up slowly, dusting himself off and replacing his hat. His stomach growled as he popped a cigarette in his mouth. After lighting it, he made his way to the edge of the building, glancing around to see if anything interesting was happening.<p>

He saw random merchants walking around and debated if he should approach one to get some food. His stomach ended up winning the battle, and he approached a merchant that was the farthest from the center of the small town and bought some food and alcohol.

Instead of going back to the place where he slept, he decided to walk down the road that led out of the town. He figured he could hide behind the fence that surrounded the hotel and giant dinosaur while he kept an eye out for the courier.

* * *

><p>After about five hours since Natalya had last spoke to Boone, he stood at the Cortese household, knocking on the door. Arianna answered it, Jace in her arms and a strange robot hovering behind her, "Oh, hi Craig."<p>

The man winced at the use of his first name. Most people in town knew that he preferred to be addressed by his surname, but even with that knowledge, there was still a select few that called him by his first name.

"Hi Arianna. Where's you si-" he began to greet her until he was cut off by Natalya hopping in the room. "Sorry, just grabbing some last minute things. Oh, and this is ED-E. He's coming with us," she explained as she stuffed some Stimpaks in her pockets. ED-E beeped at Boone, who nodded at the strange thing in response

"Is this really all of the Stimpaks that we have?" Natalya asked no one in particular as she shuffled through some items on a shelf. "Yeah. You know, mom does have to keep some for her job and all…" Arianna remarked, glaring at her elder sister.

Natalya ignored her sister as she walked into her parents' bedroom. "Mom," she began, as her mother looked up from her work to her daughter, "I'm leaving." Her mother stood and embraced Natalya for a good minute before letting her daughter go, "All right. Be safe. I love you," Joanie said as she wiped her eyes, turning from her daughter's line of sight.

"I love you too, mom. I promise I'll write as often as possible, ok?" Walking out of the room, Natalya was face to face with her younger sister. Arianna shifted uncomfortably, making it obvious that she was trying her hardest not to look at her sister.

"I know you want to come with me," Natalya began as her sister quickly looked into her eyes, "But, you need to stay here. Not only for you, but for him," she pointed to the toddler in her sister's arms.

"I-" Arianna began, but chose not to continue. She shook her head, "Never mind. Safe travels, all of you," she nodded at the three and turned to walk into her bedroom.

Natalya sighed, motioning to Boone and ED-E to leave the house. The trio walked out, shutting the door behind them. "I need to say my goodbyes to my father, as well." Boone nodded as they walked towards Vincent's repair shop. He and ED-E stayed a few feet away as Natalya approached her father.

"Dad," she began as he turned to face her, "I'm leaving now." He nodded and hugged his daughter. After pulling away from the embrace, she ruffled her hair. She smiled at him, "I'd tell you to be safe, but you're a Cortese. It's in your blood. Well that and you got shot in the head. Can't imagine it'd get much worse than that!" Natalya laughed at her father's words. He slapped her on the back as he turned around to get back to his work.

Natalya made her way back over to ED-E and Boone, who was adjusting his gun on his back. "Ready?" Boone questioned her. She nodded once and the three set North, towards a highway that would take them right in to Boulder City.

* * *

><p>Stranger yawned as he buried the wrappers from his food. It was awfully boring, but there wasn't much he could do with the courier still in town. At least, he hoped she was still in town. This town was so quiet; there wasn't much talk if the courier had left or not.<p>

This question was soon answered when Stranger saw the courier, the robot, and a man walking away from the small town. Squinting, Stranger tried to make out who the man was, but his appearance rang no bells. Judging from the man's beret and gun, he was a sniper. _Just great, _Stranger sighed, _now I have to be extra sneaky with someone like him around._

When the trio was down the road quite a ways, near a scrap yard, Stranger finally stood. He began to follow at a snail's pace.

"You're one of them spies, ain't ya?" A voice asked. Stranger turned to see an old man standing outside of a shack. He looked around to make sure the man was speaking to him before he started, "Excuse me-"

"I ain't talking! They tried to get me to talk before, but I didn't say nothin'. And I don't aim to now, by gum," the man mumbled. Stranger held his hands up in a sign of surrender, "I mean no harm. I'm just trying to leave this town."

The man began to rant about his 'ol stickin knife' before Stranger realized this man was a real loon. _Two can play at this game. _"Well listen here, fella, but I really need to get going. If _they_ catch us talking, then they'll become threatened. And who knows what'll happen then," Stranger enthusiastically told the man.

The man nodded, "Good thinkin' there, kid. Can't be too careful."

Stranger rolled his eyes as he turned around to see how far away the courier had gotten. He saw her group in the distance. Deciding that he didn't want to follow behind them, he decided to go east.

He stopped when he reached a highway labeled '95'. Assuming that the courier would eventually end up on the highway, he decided to head for the hills.

As he walked, he came across a shack surrounded by windmills. Half of them were broken and not even functioning. As he eyed the contraptions, he was suddenly aware of a presence.

Looking around, he realized that two little Cazadores were flying around the windmills. Little or not, he wasn't going to risk getting poisoned. He quickly drew his gun, aimed, and shot the little buggers before they caused a problem.

Realizing that this was no time to admire windmills, Stranger placed his gun back in its holster and began walking again. Lighting up a cigarette, he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his trench coat and eyed the highway. It was hard to view anything from where he was standing, but he managed to make out three little forms. Assuming it was the group he was following, he let out a puff of smoke and continued on his way.

As he began walking closer to a gas station, Stranger looked to notice the courier's group had stopped moving and was now engaging in a fight with some Vipers. He took this as a sign and continued on his way, wanting to get behind the gas station as quick as possible.

When he arrived at his destination, he threw his cigarette on the ground, snuffing it out with his boot. Glancing around the corner, he noted that the courier's group was now fighting giant ants. Sighing, he looked around in the distance wondering where the courier was headed to.

He was ripped from his thoughts when he saw a flash of green in the distance. Curiosity got the best of him and he found himself walking towards the area where the light came from. As he walked, he remembered that there was a Cazadore nest nearby. His pace quickened when he realized that the light may be someone in trouble.

When he arrived at the area, he noticed a person wearing a hooded trench shooting at some young Cazadores with some sort of plasma gun. He couldn't make out if the person was male or female. But that didn't matter at the moment, because the person was quickly being outnumbered, so Stranger decided to give a helping hand.

He drew out his gun and began shooting them off. The person seemed a bit in shock that the Cazadores were dropping dead, but continued to shoot.

They continued to shoot the seemingly never-ending line of baby Cazadores until the parents started flocking out. Stranger light up a cigarette and stuck it in his mouth as he quickly reloaded his gun. He began to walk closer towards the person, who was slowly backing up.

Stranger easily began taking out the larger Cazadores, but the person struggled. Aware that this was maybe too much for the person to handle, Stranger reloaded again and shot faster.

In the midst of backing up, the person tripped backwards, landing on their bottom. Stranger smirked as the person let out a yelp when a Cazadore got a little too close to their face. The Cazadore's head was instantly turned to mush.

After the dust from the battle had cleared, Stranger made his way over to the person, who remained seated on the ground. They were breathing hard. He assumed that this little experience must have scared them half to death.

When the person finally moved, it was to look at the dead Cazadore in front of them. ".44 magnum…again?" Stranger heard the _woman_ comment. Wait, why would someone be concerned about a bullet type? He went to grab the woman's shoulder to turn her around, but she was already in the process.

Under the woman's hood, big brown eyes and bright blonde hair met his sights. _No way…_

"What…" The woman—no, not just any woman—the courier's _sister_ began, "Who are you?"

Stranger stood in awe. He didn't even know where to begin.

* * *

><p><em>Dun dun duuun! Cliff hanger!<em>

_As usually, pm me any suggestions, corrections, or errors! And don't forget to review!_


	8. Misère Game

_I just want to start with a __**HUGE**__ apology to any and all readers. Real life is getting…well, real! The last time I updated was the end of October and the week after I posted the last chapter, I found out I was pregnant! Very exciting, though not expected at all! So my fiancé and I have been trying to get everything situated and preparing for the baby. _

_To anyone who's curious, I'm due June 29__th__. I'm hoping to get about two more chapters in before then and then I plan on using a lot of the free time on my maternity leave to type a whole bunch. I swear, I have the story all in my mind, it's just a matter of typing it all out._

_So anyways, the story…this chapter…I'm really sorry it's not that long and the fact that it took me five months to publish the damn thing. I've been having some real writer's block with this part, for some odd reason! _

_Anyways, please enjoy and again, I'm __**VERY **__sorry for the wait!_

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><p>Many different thoughts ran through Stranger's head as he looked at the curious blonde. One thought was that he had been caught—already! Another thought was how in the world she managed to leave her house so quickly and get so far ahead of him. Did she just leave her child home for her parents to deal with? Another thought was how completely moronic and juvenile it was for her to even think she could sur-<p>

"Well?" She asked impatiently, ripping Stranger from his thoughts. He glared at her, still unsure of how to respond. He could be cool and calm about the situation; blow it off like he was just another Wasteland wanderer who happened to stumble upon her. It was a perfect idea! Then he would tell her to go back home and he could be on his way.

Unfortunately, that's not how it went.

Stranger yanked the blonde up by her shoulder, scowling at her as he did so, "Are you an idiot? Cazadores are one of the worst things out here besides Deathclaws. You got a death wish?" The blonde stared at him with wide eyes. Needless to say, the protective, older brother in him was making its appearance. _So much for being cool and calm…_

"It's not…" The blonde began, obviously frustrated from being lectured by a complete stranger. She shrugged away from his grasp on her shoulder and crossed her arms, "Listen, I appreciate the help, but I don't need to explain myself to you!"

_Stubborn one, aren't ya? _So getting her to simply go back home was probably not an option. Stranger inwardly sighed, realizing how pigheaded the blonde seemed. Now he was really at a loss of what to do. If this girl continued following her sister, she was surely going to get caught or get killed, neither of which were in Stranger's plans.

Scratching the back of his neck, he dreaded the seemingly only option. He could offer to help aid the blonde as she traveled and hope, _hope, _that they don't get caught. He cleared his throat before he spoke, "So are you travelling or something?" But the girl didn't budge. _Fucking child…_ "Hey, I'm sorry for the way I spoke to you earlier, but you really have got to be careful travelling out here. The Wasteland isn't a playground. There's some serio-"

"I know, okay? I get it…" The blonde interrupted Stranger as she finally made eye contact with him. She pulled her hood off and sighed, "I'm not out 'adventuring' or anything childish like that," Stranger suppressed a snort, _yeah right. _"I'm actually trying to…help my sister. She's on her way to Boulder City and I'm sure something bad is going to happen and I can't just let her go in there alone!"

"So you're following your sister without her permission?" The blonde hesitated at first, but finally she gave Stranger a slight nod. "Is it really worth it? I mean, she's probably not having the same problems like you are right now. How do you plan to get anywhere around here? This isn't the only place with Cazadores."

The blonde seemed to be struck by reality. The scare tactics seem to be working! _Good, go back home! _

The blonde looked around the area, scoping out her surroundings. Stranger couldn't tell if she was looking for her sister or looking for what would attack her next.

Much to his dismay, the blonde let out a squeal as her eyes widened. She quickly turned to face Stranger, "Well you certainly seem to know your way around a gun. I don't suppose you'd like to accompany me on the short travel to Boulder City?" Her voice was sickeningly sweet as she spoke.

Stranger raised a brow before he spoke, "You do realize that Boulder City is right over that hill, right? You aren't capable of travelling that far on your own?" _Just get offended and leave me alone!_

The blonde looked in the direction of the hill, then back at Stranger, "Well if there are more of those things," she looked disgusted as she pointed to a Cazadore carcass, "I obviously can't handle myself," she admitted.

Stranger remained quiet, looking off in the direction of Boulder City. It was literally right over the damn hill. If he assisted the girl, there was a _major_ chance thathe would get caught. He risked a glance to where the courier was previously walking and noticed that she and her companions were quickly becoming little specks with the distance they were obtaining.

"I can pay you…" The blonde seemed to be begging Stranger to help her. He looked at her and sighed, pulling a cigarette out of his coat pocket and lighting it up. He inhaled deeply and blew the smoke into the blonde's face, causing her to wave the smoke away and glare at him, "I'll go free of charge. But, I'm only walking you to the first building we run into and then you're on your own, got it?"

The blonde seemed to contemplate his words before she nodded enthusiastically. "Got it. Shall we?" She nodded towards Boulder City and the two began to walk up the hill in silence.

* * *

><p>Natalya let out an annoyed sigh as the group took out the last giant ant. She checked her remaining ammo when the coast was clear, "Expect those stupid things to drain the ammo supply," she remarked bitterly.<p>

ED-E made some beeping noise in response, while Boone shrugged it off and continued walking, "We'll keep following the highway until we reach this little road that goes off to the right. It'll take us right in to Boulder City." He paused before he continued, "There's a Cazadore nest somewhere around here, so there's no point in attempting to take a short-cut."

Natalya nodded, a bit shocked that the sniper was speaking so much. _But considering that he's a former NCR top dog, he's probably used to giving orders. _Not that she minded; it was nice to travel with someone that knew what they were doing.

"Oh, and by the way…" Boone began, causing Natalya to look up at him. He remained looking forward as he spoke, "We've got someone following us."

* * *

><p><em>As usual, PM me with any questions, suggestions, or errors! And don't forget to leave a review! :)<em>


	9. Ante Off

_Hello all!I hope you didn't miss me too much, my fiance and I have been doing some major prepping for the baby. For anyone who is interested, the baby is a girl and her name is Layla Olivia. And she's definitely going to be here soon!  
><em>

_I have two new commissions that were completed for the story. Check them out on my profile! I think it's always super cool to have some artwork to go with an original story!  
><em>

_Anyways, here is the latest chapter. Like I said before, please don't worry about this story being abandoned! There is **NO **way this is going to be abandoned. It may take me quite a while to get a chapter posted, but I have this story planned out so far that it's not even funny!  
><em>

_That being said, enjoy! :)_

* * *

><p>The duo proceeded up the hill in silence. Smoke from Stranger's cigarette blew from the gentle breeze into the blonde's face and she coughed overdramatically. Stranger rolled his eyes and flicked the cigarette on to the ground. The blonde waved the remaining smoke away and looked over at her companion, "So," she began and Stranger really wished she would just remain silent, "What are you doing around here, anyways?"<p>

It was a pretty open-ended question, so Stranger decided to give a suitable answer, "Just wandering the Wastes." He could feel the blonde still staring at him for a moment before she decided to look back in the direction of Boulder City. She either really didn't care about his life story or she decided there was no point in trying to get him to talk, and therefore stayed silent. Either way, it really didn't matter. Stranger was just dying to ditch the girl so he could go back into hiding and focus on his task.

Walking down the hill, Stranger noticed some radscorpions in the distance. He drew his gun and quickly killed a handful of them. He turned to take out the remaining radscorpion, a baby one, but the thing turned to a green liquid before he could even aim at it. He noticed the blonde was tucking the plasma gun she used to kill the radscorpion back into her trench coat. Making eye contact with Stranger, the blonde nodded to him, letting him know that she was ready to continue.

After making their way through some abandoned houses, or at least what was left of them, the duo finally found themselves at the first useable building. _Thank goodness_, Stranger thought as he turned to the blonde, "Well here we are; the great, eventful place known as Boulder City."

"Sure is," the blonde began, focusing on the smoke rising out of the demolished buildings that rested in the center of the town. "Well thanks for helping me get here," she gave him a brief smile before she continued walking into the town.

"Don't mention it," Stranger told the girl as she walked away from him. He made his way around the back of the building and looked out in the distance to see if the courier and her group were arriving in town yet. It would probably be another ten minutes; it looked like the group had decided to take a longer way into town. _Which is smart, otherwise she would've ended up like her inexperienced sister._

As he waited for the courier's group to come into his view, Stranger found himself thinking about the blonde. He wondered if his younger sister would follow him, too, to make sure he was safe on his journey. At the present time, she wouldn't; it was her responsibility to help take care of their grandmother. But he wondered if she would, given the opportunity.

It was a little admirable, but at the same time very stupid for the blonde to do what she was doing. He understood from what she had said back in the saloon in Goodsprings that she was on her way to becoming a doctor, so she was very experienced in that aspect. But when it came to defending herself physically, she was a complete newbie. He knew as an older sibling, that if the blonde's sister had discovered that she died from trying to follow her, she would be completely crushed. Stranger saw it as a bit of a blessing that he stumbled upon the blonde, because he was pretty sure that had the blonde died, the courier would not be continuing her journey.

Getting bored with his thoughts and just standing around, he walked to the building next to him, giving himself a better view. As he saw the group come in to sight, he glanced around, trying to find a place to hide himself. He quickly realized, however that he had no idea what the courier and her group were planning to do. If he were to hide in an abandoned building, who's to say that the group wouldn't end up making their way in there also?

Growing a little irritated with the constant state of the unknown that his job consisted of, he simply stayed put until the group made their next move.

* * *

><p>"What the hell? Don't tell me the Legion got to this place, too," Natalya voiced as her group walked toward the huge pile of rubble in the middle of the town. Smoke was rising from it and it reminded her much of the way she found Nipton.<p>

"The Legion, huh?" Boone began, "If that's the case, I should warn you that things will get a little bit messy." ED-E made a sort of scared beeping sound as Natalya arched her brow. She knew Boone had a thing against the Legion, but who didn't?

As they approached the entrance to the ruined city, Natalya was greatly relieved to see an NCR soldier stationed there. "Hold on folks," the man began, "We've got a situation with some Great Khans right now. The brass at McCarran has ordered me to lock down the ruins until it's been resolved."

Upon hearing 'Great Khans' Natalya was thrilled. So they were in the right direction after all! After some interrogation on the NCR soldier, the group learned that they were indeed in the right place.

"So you think that any sudden movements and they'll kill the hostages in an instant?" Natalya questioned the soldier. He nodded solemnly in response. Well this wouldn't go over well. _I'm not exactly the best person at negotiation._ She thought, glancing over at Boone. _Pfft, yeah right! If I couldn't do it, then there's no way Mr. Antisocial could either! _Seeming to be stuck, Natalya put her hands on her hips and let out a frustrated huff of air.

"I could always try to negotiate a deal with the Khans…" A familiar voice quietly said. Natalya's eyes about popped out of her head as she and the group turned to face the person who had spoke—her very own sister.

* * *

><p><em>I'm sorry if the chapters seem to short. I just don't want to get into a different situation and end up having a hella long chapter that nobody can get into!<em>

_As usual, PM or comment with errors, questions, or advice! :D  
><em>


	10. Turn of a Friendly Card

After finding a perfect spot to spy on the group (the second story of an abandoned building), Stranger finally got settled in. He watched as the group approach an NCR soldier and soon saw the look of disappointment and frustration on the courier's face. Stranger obviously couldn't hear anything the soldier was saying from this far back, so he sat still and waited for any moves.

Suddenly, he saw the courier's sister emerge from an abandoned building that was closer to the group. He shook his head in silence, trying to figure out what in the world the blonde was doing. He saw the look of shock on the courier's face as her sister snuck up behind the group and spoke.

"What an idiot," Stranger murmured, regarding the blonde. _Well at least __**my**__ cover isn't blown…_

* * *

><p>"<em>What<em> exactly do you think you're _doing_?" Natalya harshly questioned her younger sibling. Arianna grinned sheepishly, "Ah, well…" the blonde paused for a moment, not sure of what to say. "I actually have no idea. I guess I was just hoping that you wouldn't mind me following you and that I could join along for the adventure?" Smoke practically shot out of Natalya's ears at her sister's words.

Realizing that this little ordeal could possibly turn into a family squabble, Boone pulled on both girls' sleeves, "I think we should move our business elsewhere. The NCR have bigger things to worry about," he remarked as he nodded towards the soldier and pulled the girls away. ED-E let out a few beeps as he followed the party away from the soldier.

After the group was a quite a ways from the destroyed city, both Natalya and Boone turned to glare at Arianna. The blonde giggled nervously, "Well?!" Her sister harshly questioned. When Arianna didn't respond to her sister, she continued, "There has to be some strange, twisted reason as to why you would want to leave your child with mom and dad to come follow me. So spit it out; what is it?"

Arianna bit her lip and let out a sigh, "Ok, well honestly? First of all, you're my sister and the fact that you were recently shot in the head and now you're up and running around? That scares me! So I decided to follow you to assist you medically." Natalya looked to Boone, who shrugged. She looked back at her sister as she continued, "And secondly, I guess I was kind of hoping that your little journey would land you in New Vegas, because, well, I have some unfinished business with someone there. And honestly, it takes a real slime to shoot a woman in the head, and New Vegas is full of slimes. It just logically seems like somehow this whole ordeal might enf up there."

Her sister's vagueness about 'unfinished business' was odd, but Natalya didn't let it distract her from the big picture here; that her sister left her son with her parents while she went out running the Wastes. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Natalya felt a headache coming on from all of the stress she was facing.

"I'm really sorry. I promise I'll help, though! I brought tons of stimpaks and have plenty of money to buy more along the way. I mean, if you let me come with. And if you're even really travelling somewhere. Who knows, maybe the person you're looking for is right behind those walls!" Arianna pointed to the pathetic rubble that was once a small town.

Right, the low-life that shot her. Natalya slowly came out of her clouded state of overwhelm and confusion of her sister's situation. "So is Jace with mom and dad?" She asked calmly. The blonde nodded, "Yes, they agreed to watch him until we returned. They encouraged me to follow you, you know. They just want to make sure you stay safe."

Her sister's words were sincere and she realized that her sister would be a great benefit to the group. Neither she nor Boone had much experience with medicines and healing. And even though Arianna wasn't the best at holding her own in a fight, she could still manage. And her charisma would certainly benefit them more than, say, Boone's…

"Ok, you can come. Is that fine with you two?" Natalya questioned Boone and ED-E, who gave a nod and beeped their approval. Arianna squealed in delight, "Yay, all of us together will be unstoppable! Now let's go get those hostages free," she ran in the direction of the NCR soldiers as the rest of the group followed.

"At least she's enthusiastic," Boone remarked. "Yep, we won't have many quiet moments with Ria around," Natalya noted.

* * *

><p>Stranger watched the scene in front of him curiously. He couldn't hear a word anyone was saying, but it looked like the courier was actually allowing her sister to come with her group. Well, no matter, hopefully the blonde just won't mention anything about a weird man in a trench coat.<p>

He continued to watch as the blonde approached the NCR soldier. They exchanged words and she nodded to her sister and walked through an old door that led into the rubble of a city.

After what seemed like a half an hour, the blonde emerged with some NCR soldiers and Great Khans. Amazingly, the two _very_ different factions weren't threatening or bothering each other at all. Stranger rubbed his chin in slight confusion, wishing he could hear the conversation being held below.

* * *

><p>"…and he gave me this," Arianna told her sister as she handed her a silver lighter, engraved with a 'B.' "Interesting," Natalya said, taking the lighter and inspecting it, "So it looks like we have a date with Mr. checkered-suit-Benny in New Vegas. That is, unless we catch him first."<p>

"All right! See; I told you this sounded like the job of a New Vegas dog! Well, let's get a move on! I can take you guys straight to New Vegas!" Arianna led the way as the others followed, "We'll get back on the main road and take that right into New Vegas. There are a few stops along the way if you guys are hungry or need to stock up. Don't spend too many caps, though!"

Boone and Natalya exchanged looks at being bossed around by Arianna, but they both shrugged it off. They had gotten a huge lead and they had somebody who knew the exact way to New Vegas. What could possibly go wrong?

* * *

><p><em>so, um, HI.<br>_

_I totally wasn't able to write hardly anything on my maternity leave, but here is this!  
><em>

_Like I said before, I'm definitely not abandoning this story! I just have had a lot on my plate with a new baby. Really not as easy as it seemed, plus I like to spend time with her. I try to type when she's sleeping and I have extra energy. excuse, excuse... :p  
><em>

_so anyways, I am actually farther along in this story, just at different parts though (like when they arrive into New Vegas, for example.) the problem is that stories have to go in order...you getting this?  
><em>

_lawl, anyways, what I'm trying to say is I'm struggling with typing to the exciting parts! because all of this crap I'm typing now already happens in the game and everyone is aware of what happens , capiche?  
><em>

_bleh, late night ramblings. ANYWAYS, review, let me know of any errors, you know the drill!  
><em>

_3  
><em>


	11. Straight Flush

The group walked down the dusty road on their way to their newfound destination; New Vegas.

As Natalya played with Benny's lighter in her hand, she realized she was feeling a little unsure about the whole situation; her sister coming along with, the fact that this Benny character apparently had no remorse, going to New Vegas. Natalya didn't want to admit this to anyone, but ever since she was shot, she couldn't remember a thing about being a courier. It was almost as if everyone else had to reassure her that she was, in fact, a courier and she was hurt in the line of duty. She was grateful that she remembered the more important things, such as her family and friends, but it was a bit unsettling to know that she had been a courier for a few years and couldn't remember a thing about it.

That being said, Natalya wasn't sure if she'd ever been to New Vegas or not. She assumed that she had; how in the world would she have gotten mixed up with some characters from the city? Letting out a sigh, she realized the sky was getting a bit dark. Her sister had worked magic negotiating with the Great Khans, but it had taken quite a bit of time off of their day.

"Hey, there's the trading post," Arianna pointed to a little setup of traders, "I knew it was around here somewhere. Need to get some supplies?" Boone shrugged, "I've hardly used my gun. I could get a bite to eat, though." The group traveled up the small hill and Boone walked over to a vendor who was selling food. Natalya scoped out the small area of merchants while Arianna and ED-E sat down on a picnic table.

As Natalya walked around, she was transfixed on some vendors that were under the bridge she was on. Before she knew it, she bumped right into a warm figure with an, "Oof!" She looked up to see a young woman dressed in brown clothes, wearing a hood. "Sorry about that; wasn't paying attention to where I was headed," Natalya apologized.

"No problem," the young woman started. She looked like she had more to say, so instead of walking away, Natalya stayed in front of the woman. "No offense, but you look like you've traveled a long way down some bad roads. Where'd you come from?" Natalya was a bit taken aback from the comment, but kindly replied, "I'm from Novac. But I've basically been travelling two days non-stop from Goodsprings."

"Wow, you've been traveling a long way, then. I've never been there myself, but I've meet some traders who pass that way," the young woman responded, intrigued, "Well, welcome then. I'm Veronica. I live in a hole in the ground." Natalya introduced herself, Arianna (who walked over to meet the brunette), Boone, and ED-E, but was a bit taken aback by the comment about her living conditions. "A hole in the ground?"

After Veronica explained to the sisters that she lived with her family in an underground bunker, she lowered her voice, "So, listen, can I ask you something on the level?" The sisters nodded, so she continued, "I had a run-in with this group that calls themselves the Brotherhood of Steel. Do you know anything about them?"

"Ooh, I have!" Arianna started up. Natalya was glad her sister spoke up, because, honestly, she couldn't remember. The name sounded familiar, but… "I think they keep to themselves for the most part. Unless you use advanced technology around them."

"Well that shouldn't be a problem for me; I can't afford anything like that," Veronica explained. "Hey, so where are you headed, anyway?"

The sisters looked at each other and before they could stop to let the other speak, they both blurted out responses. "The Strip." "Going to meet an old friend." Veronica blinked and shook her head, "You must like to travel long distances, huh? I'm going to be honest; you're the first person, let alone group of people, that look like they know what they're doing. There are places around here that I've never been to because they're too dangerous for me to handle on my own. What do you say? I could be another companion; we could all help each other out."

The sisters once again looked to each other for guidance. Arianna was completely on board with the idea, but something seemed fishy with Natalya, "Don't you have a family to feed? You're just going to ditch them?" Veronica shook her head, "Like I said, they are tough enough and they'll manage."

Boone approached the group, having overheard the conversation, "Where exactly are you trying to go? We have one main goal and we aren't going to be making pit-stops so that you can 'see the world.'" Veronica didn't let Boone shake her, "Nowhere in particular, I'd just like to get a different perspective on the world. See if there's something I can learn from."

"Hold on a moment," Natalya told Veronica as she and the others stepped aside to speak. After a brief conversation, they approached her again, "Okay, let's all travel together." Veronica gave a grin, "Now you're talking! One thing you should know first, though, is that I asked about the Brotherhood because I'm one of them." Boone snorted at this. "I know, I know! But I had to know how you'd react when I told you. We've made a lot of enemies. You guys still fine with me coming along?"

Natalya shrugged, "Actually I'm more comfortable now that I know you've had some training." Veronica nodded, "I'm great at punching people. I'm not gonna lie. It's a gift. Now let's hit the road, shall we?"

* * *

><p>Stranger found that it was becoming more and more difficult to stay out of sight from the group and to keep an eye on them at the same time. When he saw that they were stopping to rest at the trading post, he decided to keep moving.<p>

As Stranger walked, he tried to stay off to the right as much as possible. As he darted behind hills and signs, he noticed a small building not too far in the distance that had some smoke rising up from it.

Approaching the complex, he realized it was a food vendor. He found himself hoping that they had cigarettes on hand. _Thinking of cigarettes before food and water, huh? Typical! _ He could practically hear his sister's voice lecturing him.

The man and woman that were in charge of buying and selling things greeted Stranger kindly. He was pleased to find out that the man was actually sold a box of cigarettes the other day, so Stranger bought two packs from him. That _should _last until he got to more civilization.

Having also bought some food and water, Stranger sat on a picnic table, across from a red-headed woman wearing a cowboy hat and a shotgun on her back. He glanced at her and accidentally caught her eye. "Looking for trouble?" Stranger inwardly cursed that he had apparently ran into a mouthy broad. He glanced in the distance to make sure the group wasn't headed in his direction.

"Hey, I'm talking to you," the red-head commented when Stranger failed to respond to her question. "Just minding my own business," he remarked. The woman snorted, "Good, keep that mind of yours from thinking about me and we won't have any problems." Stranger sat in silence. That woman had some nerve to assume that he was a pervert like that. But he ignored her childish ways; she was probably just trying to get under his skin, anyhow.

The red-head downed the rest of her whiskey and let out an agitated sigh. Stranger, yet again, ignored her, assuming she was just trying to get a reaction out of him. The red-head stood up, stretched, and began to walk towards the highway. He heard her let out some sort of remark, but he couldn't make out what she was saying.

Before he knew it, Stranger heard the man that had sold him food, yelling, "Heads up, everyone! Those goddamn morons…what are they doing over here?" Stranger quickly glanced up to see some horribly dressed people running towards the small building he was eating next to. The people had an assortment of weapons amongst themselves, but one thing in common was that they were all melee weapons. _Shouldn't be too big of a job, _Stranger thought as he pulled out his gun and stood, popping a cigarette in his mouth and quickly lighting it. He aimed his gun right at a guy with a bright green mohawk and shot.

Bang.

* * *

><p><em>Hey-yo! So I decided I'm going to start explaining the titles. Starting now! <strong>Straight Flush<strong> is a hand in poker that has five cards in sequence, all of the same suit. Five cards=our little group. (Natalya, Arianna, Boone, ED-E, and now V-Ron.) TEEHEE, I'M SO SMAART!_

_Anyways, please leave me any comments (I love them!) or pm me with any suggestions or errors! _

_Thank you all for being so understanding of my slow updates! Being a mom comes first. :)  
><em>


	12. Cold Deck

Stranger tucked his gun back into his trench-coat after helping fight off the Fiends. After his initial shot, a shot that didn't miss and went straight through the guy's skull, most of the idiots ran off, while about two others braved the gunman. Stranger took out one and was surprised to see the red-head take out the remainder.

As he returned to his meal, the merchant approached Stranger, "Wow, nice shot, son! Ya really know yer way around that gun," the man complimented him. He nodded, "Thank you," and continued eating. "Listen, son, we don't do this often, but if ya'd like, yer more than welcome to stay in our home for the night."

Stranger looked to the small building. That was their home? It was pretty pathetic, but in all honesty, he needed a place to hide out. So he accepted the offer. "Great! My wife will make a bed up for ya," the man scurried off, leaving Stranger alone.

"Well that's just peachy for you. Forget that I wasted any of my ammo," the red-head scoffed as she started to head south. Stranger wondered for a moment if the red-head would run into the courier and her group, but he was cut off by the man and his wife returning, "All right, buddy. We'll go git a nice bed fixed up for ya." Stranger nodded as the couple headed into the small building.

Looking into the distance, Stranger wondered what the courier and her group were doing. He hoped that they were just settling at the trading post that he saw on the map. It was getting quite dark out, so they'd have to be stopping somewhere for the night.

Right?

* * *

><p>"Well, we might as well make ourselves comfy. We shouldn't travel when it's this dark out," Natalya spoke to the group. Everyone gave an agreement and went their own ways, trying to find some food or a place to sleep. Personally, Natalya needed the rest. She felt like she hadn't fully slept since she woke up with that terrible headache in Goodsprings.<p>

After searching around for a bit, Natalya found a place to sleep in an abandoned, run-down flatbed. It provided very little comfort, but it was a roof over her head. Just as she was getting ready to lie down, Arianna approached her with a plate of food and a bottle of water, "Hey. You should really get something in your stomach," her sister explained, "I know you're tired, but we've all got to stay on top of our nutrition and hydration."

Natalya stared at her sister as she grabbed the water bottle and some food, "You've been reading way too many medical books." Arianna scoffed, "Get use to it! Jace may not be here, but I'm still a mom first. I'm going to be watching over everyone for as long as we travel," the blonde spoke. Natalya noticed how her sister's mouth turned down at the mention of her son. "Hey, you holding up ok?" Arianna nodded, giving her sister a smile, "Yeah. The night before you left, I stayed up all night with mom and told her about my plan. She agreed with me following you," Arianna began to explain, but her sister cut her off, "Why exactly are you following me? It can't be just to protect me. You know that I know my way around a stimpak."

The blonde hesitated for a moment, "I maybe know a thing or two about the guy that shot you," Arianna began, afraid that her sister would be angered with her. Natalya remained silent, so the blonde continued, "I'm pretty sure I've seen Benny around when I lived in New Vegas. When I saw caught a glimpse of him in Novac, I had a feeling it had something to do with you. So I guess I took this as a sign; this may be the only opportunity that I get to go back to New Vegas and have some closure," the blonde looked in the direction of the bright city, "I figured that after two straight years of being completely attached at the hip to Jace, a little space wouldn't do either one of use harm, either," Arianna stood to walk away, "By the way, he told us to have fun, protect each other, and that he loves us both."

"Smart boy," Natalya commented as the sisters exchanged smiles before Arianna walked away.

Natalya continued eating her food as she wondered about her sister and the time she spent in New Vegas. In all honesty, it was a complete mystery to Natalya. One minute the blonde was running away to New Vegas, then a year or so past and she returned with a swollen belly. She didn't know what the blonde had done with her time there and she never asked about Jace's father, because, well, it really was none of her business.

Dismissing these thoughts, when the courier finished her food and water, she made herself cozy to get some sleep.

* * *

><p>Waking up to the blazing sun would be painful for most, but on this particular morning, Natalya was actually feeling great. Well, better than she had been feeling lately, that is.<p>

She walked out of the flatbed and saw the others were eating. _Good, that means I didn't sleep in for long!_ "Good morning! You're looking better than ever!" Arianna chirped to her elder sister. "I'm feeling great, actually," Natalya nodded, sitting down to eat.

After they all finished eating, Boone spoke, "So what is the plan for today?" Natalya was silent for a moment before she finally spoke, "Well hopefully we can just go straight to New Vegas, no detours." She looked in the distance at the tall buildings of the city. Arianna was the first to stand, "Well, let's get going, then! We aren't getting anywhere by just sitting here looking at each other!" The blonde raised a fist into the air enthusiastically and began to walk in the direction of New Vegas.

"Well she's a chipper one, isn't she?" Veronica remarked as she also got up to follow. The rest of the group followed.

* * *

><p>Stranger sat at a table as he ate a brahmin steak for breakfast. His eyes were focused in the direction of the trading post that he assumed the courier and her group would be stationed at.<p>

As he sat in a trance, he noticed a figure in the distance to the left of the trading post. The figure was walking towards him. He squinted, trying to figure out if it was a threat. _Cowboy hat, jeans, shotgun on back..._ Stranger's eyes bulged slightly, _Christ, it's that crazy ginger!_ He couldn't risk being near the outspoken woman today. If the courier's gang overheard her, they'd know for sure that something was up.

Stranger quickly wolfed his food down and stood, "Thank you two for food and a place to sleep. I've got to get going."

"Well thank ya, son! Feel free to come back any time!" The man and woman waved as he walked quickly away.

Seeing a big rocky hill quite a few yards away, Stranger decided to take a chance and use that as a hiding spot.

Now to wait.

* * *

><p>"Wow, what the heck radio station is this?!" Arianna asked as the others listened.<p>

Arianna, who was sick of walking in silence, had turned on the radio on her sister's Pip Boy. As she turned the dials, she came across a station with two very odd voices that gossiped and hollered. "I mean, don't get me wrong, the music is great, but what's with the freak show hosting it?"

"It's Tabitha and Rhonda; a super mutant and her robot friend," Veronica responded, causing the others to state at her strangely. She raised her hands up defensively, "Hey, I only know because it's one of the only stations we get living down in a hole," she explained, "They're broadcasting from Black Mountain. And the Brotherhood is stationed right next to it."

"Really? Have you met them?" Arianna asked Veronica, who shook her head quickly, "No...I'm pretty sure one of the groups would be dead by now if we'd have met."

"Oh," Arianna seemed a bit defeated, "Well I think it'd be fun to meet them. They sound like some colorful characters."

"Yes, very colorful," Boone chimed in, "Especially when they talk about killing humans." Natalya and Veronica laughed as Arianna got a bit flustered, "Ah, well that's your problem, Boone! You don't have a way with words like I do. I'd make friends with them in no time quick!" Natalya shrugged and nodded her head. She couldn't argue with her sister on that point. She was the most charismatic one in the group. The girl could probably talk her way out of being murdered by Caeser right as he was raising a machete to chop her head off.

The group continued walking, listening to the strange duo on the radio, as they approached a small shack next to a pen full of brahmin. There was a man and woman bickering on their right and to their left was three bodies lying in random spots.

"What the-" Arianna began as they were able to make out what the two people were hollering about. "-helped just as much as he did! And you gave him a place to stay, but not me?!" The woman yelled. "Please, understand my wife 'n I dun have much room! It was nothing against ya," the man explained as he looked at the group. He attempted to make eye contact and seem friendly, but the woman started back up again, "Don't ignore me! Where did he go?"

"Please, yer scaring potential customers away! And I dun know where he went!" Everyone except Boone approached the two. "Hello! Might I interest ya'll in sum food?" The man questioned. "Sorry, we just ate at the trading post," Natalya declined, causing the man to mutter obscenities about the trading post under his breath. Natalya looked the red-head up and down, "Is there a problem?"

"Yeah, there is. This bozo doesn't have any alcohol," the red-head explained. "The trading post has some," Veronica chimed in, causing the red-head to shake her head, "I don't have any caps to spend!" The group stared at her, confused. "So you're trying to steal alcohol from this man?" Natalya questioned. The red-head squinted her eyes, "No. I'm expecting a reward for killing one of them," she pointed to the pile of bodies. Boone was walking to each body, inspecting them thorougly. "Listen, I can give ya a few caps, but I dun have anything else ta offer," the man said as he handed some caps over. The red-head scoffed, "47 caps? Cheap ass," she muttered as she walked over to the bodies, "Back off, buddy, that loot is all mine."

Natalya looked to the man, who seemed very upset, "I'm sure sorry 'bout that. I need ta git rid of her 'fore she starts scaring people away."

"What's got her so worked up?" Arianna questioned. "She an' a young fella were here eating last night. We were 'bout to be attacked by Fiends, but the fella took two of them out. This one 'ere," he pointed to the red-head, "Took the last guy out. I rewarded the fella, but not her. Guess I thought they were jus' defending this place out of the goodness of their hearts, but not this broad. I bet ya if I didn't give the fella a reward, he wouldn't have complained..."

"Yeah, well he seemed like he was hiding something, so of course he wouldn't have been as assertive as I am," the red-head walked back over to them. The man cringed and pulled Natalya to the side, "Listen, can ya please git her out of here? I have a small supply of ammo in my shack; otherwise I have nothing ta offer. I can't have her hangin 'round here an' harassing my customers." Natalya thought for a few before she sighed, "If you have 10mm and 9mm rounds, we'll do it." The man grinned and ran into his shack.

"Hey, you're coming with us," Natalya spoke to the red-head. "What? Why should I?" Natalya rummaged through her pockets and held out a large amount of caps in both palms, "Because I've got some drinking money for you."

The red-head turned, "Sorry, not interested. I can get whiskey in other ways than paying, if you get what I'm saying." Natalya stood there, trying to think of a way to convince the red-head to come with. "Oh well, her loss," Arianna began, winking at her sister, "Let's get going to New Vegas, guys!"

Understanding what her sister was up to, Natalya looked to the others, "Yeah guys, let's go."  
>"Wait!" The red-head began as they started walking away. "Ok, ok, I'll come with. You never said anything about New Vegas."<p>

The sisters looked at each other, both smirking.

* * *

><p><em>Ooohh, things are getting exciting, huh?<br>_

_If the spacing betweens paragraphs seems odd...it's because it is. I'm starting to type this story on my iPod (lol, I know) because my baby can't be distracted for long enough for me to load my laptop up. So I type on my iPod, upload chapter on laptop.  
><em>

_The chapter title literally means a stacked deck. I used this because Arianna played the red-head by using something she knew would lure her into coming with them. Not my most creative, but whatev. It's getitng late and I'm tired! D:  
><em>

_As usual, reviews are loved! Pm me any questions! :)  
><em>


	13. Kepplinger Holdout

With their new loud-mouthed member, the group said goodbye to the overjoyed vendor and his wife and took of towards New Vegas.

As they followed the old, broken road, Arianna spoke, "So what's your name?" The red-head smirked, "Rose of Sharon Cassidy." Earning a few odd looks from everyone, she chuckled, "Just call me Cass. A few people used to call me 'Whiskey Rose' back West, before I punched enough people. So now they say it, just not when I'm around."

"I can't wait until I can see you actually prove those words true," Boone remarked. Veronica muttered an "Oh boy," as the others remained quiet. "Excuse me?!" Cass questioned harshly. Boone shrugged, "You keep talking about how tough you are; I personally can't wait to see what you've got." And with that, the man went quiet and moved to the front of the group. "Asshole," Cass remarked.

The group continued following the road and soon they neared some rocky hills. "Keep your eyes peeled, guys," Natalya warned the group, "Who knows what could be crawling behind all of those huge boulders." Veronica and Arianna nodded in agreement, ED-E beeped in confirmation, but the other two members gave no reaction. Natalya bristled, "Guys, I get that you're having a little spat, but we need to foc-" A sudden shrieking interrupted Natalya, causing the group to look up on a hill to their right.

A group of about 15 golden geckos stood up on the hill, ready to leap at the group. The Geiger counter on Natalya's Pip-Boy began to slowly click. "Careful; if you are exposed to one of them for too long, you'll get irradiated," Boone explained as he shot one of the geckos. The loud noise and the death of kin made the other geckos quite irate, and they immediately leapt at the gang with no remorse. The group quickly prepared themselves and began attacking the geckos.

As they shot, punched, or whatever they had to do to fend off the geckos, more swarmed them. They shouted warnings of the geckos locations to each other, until, "Veronica, look out!" Natalya shouted as a gecko jumped to bite at Veronica's arm. She quickly moved out of the way, but it didn't matter because the creature fell from a gunshot to its head.

After finally taking out all of the little buggers, Veronica sighed, "Thanks whoever saved me back there. Thought I had things under control, but I guess not." Nobody uttered a 'you're welcome,' causing the group to look strangely between each other. "It wasn't me," Natalya, Arianna, and Cass spoke at once. ED-E beeped as if to agree. Boone stared at the others for a moment before he moved towards the gecko's carcass. He squatted down and looked closely at the gecko, identifying the bullet lodged into its head. ".44 magnum round," he muttered. Remembering an identical incident back in Nipton, Natalya's head whipped up and she glanced at her sister. The blonde paled quite a bit; Natalya wondered if there was something that she was missing out on.

"There's someone following us. Split up and make sure you search everywhere," Boone instructed the group. They all began to climb the hill and look behind the rocks and boulders. The more they searched, the further they dispersed from each other.

Natalya looked towards Boone. He seemed positively hell-bent on finding out who could be following them. Whoever it was, they couldn't be all that bad. This being the second time the person has assisted Natalya, she really didn't see any harm in the person, although the thought of being stalked creeped her out a bit. Whatever the outcome, all she truly wanted was for the person to not be slaughtered by Boone.

* * *

><p>Arianna had a pit in her stomach. She had her assumptions back when that man had rescued her from the cazadores and she saw the .44 magnum rounds from his gun. Now she felt her assumption was going to be confirmed.<p>

She continued to half-heartedly search the area; glancing here and there. She lifted her head, only to realize how far away she was from the others. She began to walk back down the hill towards the others, until she was pulled off her feet. Her back was slammed into a boulder and she let out a small yelp. "Shh!" A voice harshly told her as she felt a warm, smoke smelling breath on her face. She opened her eyes to a vision that shouldn't have shocked her, but it did.

This 'mysterious person' had it all; the hat, the trench coat, everything. "So it was you!" Arianna exclaimed and was quickly rewarded with a hand slapped over her mouth. "Yea, good guess. It _was_ me," the man began sarcastically, "Now let's just keep this little secret between the two of us, ok?" Arianna squirmed out of his hold, "You're joking me, right?! One of the guys we're traveling with is an ex-NCR sniper!" The blonde harshly whispered, "No matter if I keep my mouth shut or not, he knows someone is following us and he probably won't rest til he finds out who." The blonde's words were chilling, but Stranger's exterior remained neutral. He had to do some quick thinking. Voices were getting closer, making it harder for him to concentrate.

Arianna's brows furrowed as she realized the distress this young man was in. When she thought about it, she realized that she owed him; he _had_ saved her from the cazadores!

Wait! That was it! Arianna quickly looked around and found some geckos walking around in a little ravine a small distance away from them. Arianna grabbed the man by his tie, "Let's go!" She whispered and pulled him after her. They ran down an odd angled slope toward the geckos. "What are you-?"

"Making it look like you're saving me!" Arianna let go of him, but continued to run, landing herself almost right in the middle of the geckos. "Shit! At least give me time to get ready!" Stranger exclaimed as he pulled out his gun and began firing at the geckos. Arianna was also using her plasma pistol, but only slightly, to give it the look that Stranger had truly saved her.

* * *

><p>When Natalya heard gunshots followed by her sister's voice yelling, her blood ran cold. She looked to Boone and they both simultaneously ran in the direction of the noises.<p>

As they ascended the hill, they stared at the scene before them; Arianna surrounded by dead geckos and a man in a trench coat holding a gun. Only two of the geckos had been killed by Arianna, while the man had clearly killed the majority. "Ria!" Natalya yelled to her sister, "Y-you all right?" Arianna nodded to her sister and looked to the man, "Yeah, I'm fine. This guy saved me." Natalya also took a look at the man who saved her sister.

He was wearing a hat, so she couldn't see his fine details, but his face was a bit pale and rugged looking. "Thank you," Arianna began, causing the man to look at her, "I owe you." The man gave her a quick, unsure nod.

Boone, having enough of the small talk, raised his gun at the man. It was obvious from this man's gun that this was the person following them, "Tell us who you are and why you're following us."

All eyes on him, Stranger cleared his throat and holstered his gun, "I'm..." He began, but was cut off by a harsh voice. "I'll tell ya who he is! _He's_ the asshole that stole _my_ reward!" Cass shouted. The group looked between the man and Cass.

"Well," Natalya gently placed a hand on Boone's gun and began to slowly lower it, "I guess we have some catching up to do."

* * *

><p><em>Hello there, lovers! good news; apparently iPads are very user friendly with this site, so hopefully I'll be pumping out more chapters than I originally was just using my laptop.<em>

_about the title; Kepplinger Holdout is (to keep it simple) a machine that someone who is cheating in a card game wears to switch out their cards. in this sense, Arianna is basically taking charge of Stranger's fate and throwing the fact that Stranger saved her at the group, hoping that this fact will bypass the whole stalking thing. lol, sorry if that makes no sense._

_anyways, please message me/comment any questions or love. I'm hoping to do a new chapter at the very least every two weeks. hopefully more because this story has quite a ways to go!_


	14. Sit n' Go

Stranger was very aware that all eyes were on him. He looked to the blonde, expecting her to help him, but he realized that she had already helped him enough. He tried to think of any false story he could tell them, but nothing came to mind.

"If he comes with us, I'm done!" The red-head muttered. The courier threw her a glare, "At least give him a chance to explain himself. No offense Cass, but your situation with him is irrelevant to the situation between him and our group." Stranger took that as his cue to speak, so he cleared his throat, "I heard about you over the radio. I'm not sure if you heard the broadcast, but no details were spared, so I knew exactly where you were," he explained, "So I went to Goodsprings and found you. And when I realized you had company, I followed to make sure you all were safe. And I've obviously just been following since then."

* * *

><p>The group stood there, taking in his words. Natalya was a bit miffed; he really hadn't explained <em>why<em> he was following them. But at the same time, he had apparently helped Arianna numerous times and Natalya felt she owed him for that. As she mulled over the facts to decide what to do with him, she realized she had quite a headache; particularly where her scar was. She pressed a hand to her forehead and closed her eyes, trying to rid herself of the pain. Groaning, she turned from the others and walked away.

Arianna glanced at the others before she started after her sister. "Nat, what's up?" She questioned once she caught up to her sister. Natalya opened her eyes and lowered her hand, "I just feel a bit overwhelmed. I feel like everyone looks to me as the leader, so I want to make decisions that will make everyone happy."

"You're talking about this...stranger guy, right?" Natalya nodded, "Obviously _I_ have no problem with him; he's saved my skin in a few situations. I'm pretty sure that everyone would be fine if he came with us. Well, except Cass, but I mean..." The blonde trailed off, making a face to her sister. They both knew that had that man not asked them to take her with them, the red-head wouldn't be a part of their group. "I hope nobody's gotten too attached to her," Natalya remarked.

* * *

><p>Stranger stood with the others in silence. It was an odd group, for sure; a sniper, a robot, a loud mouthed red-head apparently named Cass, and a pretty girl wearing a hood. He found himself curious as to what she was hiding under that hood.<p>

"Might as well make ourselves comfortable. Chief has a lot of thinking to do," the pretty girl said as she made herself comfortable on a rock. Cass made a groaning noise as she crossed her arms and walked a few feet away from the group. Stranger grabbed his lighter and a cigarette from his coat and lit it up. He took a deep breath, letting the poison fill his lungs.M"You know, besides the bullets, that also made me realize that someone was following us," the sniper remarked. Stranger looked over to him, raising a brow, "Smoking?"

"Yeah. The smoke comes downwind and I picked up on the scent. We've gotten so many new members to our group, though, so I wasn't sure if the smell was just lingering on one of them," the sniper explained and Stranger nodded. _Damn, he's good_, Stranger thought to himself. He never would have thought anything about the smoke. He obviously still had some learning to do when it came to being sneaky.

"Speaking of new members, do you think that's what they're talking about?" The pretty girl questioned. The sniper shrugged. "I wouldn't mind if you became part of the group. The name's Veronica, by the way," the pretty girl, Veronica, smiled at Stranger. The robot beeped as if he were in agreement and the sniper shrugged. "Yeah, well I'd mind," Cass harshly stated, but before she could go on, the sisters came back up the hill.

"I think I've made a decision," the courier explained. All attention was on her, "I hope no one is mad with my decision, but this guy has really benefited our group from a distance," she explained, turning to Stranger, "I think that having you in the group would be the only proper way of thanking you. That is, if you even want to continue to travel with us."

Stranger was so happy that getting caught didn't ruin his plans. Yeah, he'd have to eventually explain it all to them later, but it could wait. "Sure, I'd like that," Stranger nodded to the group. "Hey!" The blonde yelled, causing everyone to look in her direction. She was a few feet away from them, looking in the distance, "You're really going to ditch just because he's coming with?"

The figure in the distance, Cass, just simply rose her middle finger and kept on walking. The blonde scowled and waved a hand in the red-head's direction, "What a bitch." Turning back to the group, the blonde smiled sheepishly, "What did I miss?"

"He said he'll travel with us," the courier informed her sibling. "Great!" The blonde exclaimed, "I don't believe I got a chance to introduce myself on the many occasions that we met; I'm Arianna. Or Ria, whatever you prefer," the blonde told him. "Boone," the sniper grunted. "I'm Natalya; I'm sure you only know me as 'the courier'," the courier explained. "That's ED-E," Arianna introduced the robot, who beeped a hello.

Stranger felt a bit awkward at everyone's kindness. He felt it was rude not to properly introduce himself, but at the same time wanted to stay incognito. "What's your name?" Veronica asked.

"Everyone just calls me Stranger."

* * *

><p><em>so here's a bit of fun information on this chapter; I had it all typed up on my iPod and then on Saturday, all of my iPod's memory got deleted. I was <strong>livid<strong>! all of my chapters, pictures, videos...! luckily I back up all of my baby's pictures and videos often, but I haven't since valentines day, so i lost a few._

_ugh, end rant. anyways, so i hope you like the chapter. I know its slow moving, but now that these characters have met, things should start getting good! _

_leave your love and pm me any questions! _


	15. Luck be a Lady

After coming to terms with the fact that their new member wasn't going to give his name, the group gathered around Natalya, who was looking at the map on her Pip-Boy. "Wow, I guess I didn't realize just how close we were to New Vegas," Natalya remarked.

As she scanned over different locations nearby, Stranger got a glimpse of one place that caught his interest. _NCR Sharecropper Farms_, he read in his head. In the most recent letters his dad wrote him, he said he was stationed in New Vegas. Even though this place wasn't _in_ Vegas, it was still close enough. "So, Boone, do you know much about this sharecropper place?" Stranger couldn't resist the urge to know the details.

"It's a place for people to farm and NCR patrols the farms day and night," the answer was short, but that was all Stranger needed to know. "Why do you ask? Should we check it out?" Natalya questioned Stranger, which caught him off guard. "No. I was just curious, that's all." There was a bit of uncomfortable silence before Stranger decided it'd be best if he explained himself. "My dad is part of NCR. I haven't seen him for years, but we've been exchanging letters. One of his last letters said that he was stationed in New Vegas. If we have the opportunity to relax while we're there, I was going to try looking for him."

"He must work on the monorail, then? Or patrols the Strip?" Arianna inquired. Stranger paused before answering, "I honestly don't know. He never went into detail about what he does." The blonde's brows furrowed, "Oh." Boone glanced to the blonde, and the two exchange suspicious looks.

"Well, should we get going?" Natalya questioned and began walking before anyone could answer, eager to get to New Vegas. The others followed, sort of grouping off; Natalya, Boone, and ED-E took the front, while Veronica, Arianna, and Stranger trailed behind.

"I know it's not exactly my place to ask, especially since I've only just joined the group, but why were you following Natalya and Arianna?" Veronica quietly asked Stranger. Unsure how to answer this, he glanced at the blonde. She was seemingly not paying attention to the two of them, but that didn't mean she wasn't listening. _Ah, forget it, a little bit of honesty never hurt anyone. _"Honestly it's just like I explained; I heard about the cour- er, _Natalya_ on the radio and was interested," Stranger lowered his voice before his next words, "And this is a little embarrassing to admit, but when I was younger my father would tell me stories about this man that was from out east. The stories say that he'd follow travelers and make sure they were safe in tough situations. I've held on to that fantasy ever since I was a kid and tried to train myself to be the same. But that sniper up there," he pointed to Boone, "He made me realize that I'm not as stealthy as I thought."

"Well I'm not very stealthy myself, but I thought you did a great job protecting us," the blonde turned her head towards Stranger and Veronica to speak. She fell into step with the two, "So you were really following us the whole time? Watching everything we did?" The blonde seemed to be racking her brain. Veronica laughed, "Trying to remember if you picked your nose while he was watching?" The girls laughed and Stranger just shook his head.

Glancing at the blonde, he remembered a question he had been wanting to ask her, "Do you still have that necklace with the bottle caps on it?" The blonde nodded and lifted the left sleeve of her leather jacket, "Yeah, I made it into a bracelet. I'm not really a necklace kind of girl."

"Well make sure you keep those. My dad would tell me stories about those caps and the prizes you could get from the vendor. When your sister was looking at her map, I realized that the Sunset Sarsaparilla Headquarters is right in this area. Maybe we could make a pit-stop once we get your sister's...situation figured out," Stranger suggested. Arianna's eyes lit up briefly before they turned somber, "I actually have a son that I need to get back to as soon as I'm finished here. We've never really been separated for more than-"

"Whoa, hold on now!" Veronica exclaimed, causing the others to look back. Veronica ignored them, though, "You have a son?!" She looked the blonde up and down, "Never would've guessed," she said, giving Stranger a look. He shrugged, "I followed them when she had her son with her, so I know it's the truth."

Arianna fished a small picture out of her jacket pocket to show Veronica. The picture was a little grainy, but you could definitely see a toddler and that he had some of Arianna's features. "Wow! If I knew you better, I'd ask who the dad is, but I doubt I'd know the person."

"Hah!" Arianna began, "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you." She gently took the picture back from Veronica and began walking. After exchanging a confused look, Veronica and Stranger began walking as well. Stranger quickened his pace, however, as he was a bit curious about something, "How did you make that picture? My sister collects old cameras and is always trying to get them to work, but she hasn't had much luck."

"Oh," the blonde seemed relieved by the subject change, "From what I hear it's actually pretty hard work. Well, not _hard_, exactly, but tedious. My father has his own repair shop, so he gets all sorts of old world junk from traders. And then there's an old lady that lives down the road from Novac. So if either one can't make something work, the other one probably can. I personally don't know how they did it, sorry. Feel free to bring your sister around sometime, though. I mean, you know where we live." The blonde winked to Stranger with a small smirk on her lips as she hastened her step.

Veronica caught up with Stranger, who's cheeks were a light shade of pink underneath all the stubble from lack of shaving. "Well I was going to ask what that was all about, but judging by the look on your face, I'm not sure I want to know."

Stranger shook his head, "All I'm gonna say, is that we might need to put a leash on that girl when we get to New Vegas..."

* * *

><p><em>I'm sick right now and can't think properly. so short author's note! yay!?<em>

_leave some love!_


	16. Ace-to-Six

"...so ya see, boss, I really have no control over the situation. Every time I run into her, there's another member to the group."

"I understand. Don't worry, when they arrive in New Vegas, we'll clarify it is she, and _only _she, that is allowed in this building. And I'm certain you won't have a problem telling them this, will you Victor?"

"Not a problem at all, boss. Whatever you say, goes!"

* * *

><p>Natalya's walk was very quiet, aside from Veronica's outburst. But what did she expect, walking with a robot and an anti-social sniper? Feeling a bit left out, she turned her head slightly, "Hey Ri-Oh!" Natalya cut herself off, surprised that her sister was just a few steps behind her. "Um, boo?" The blonde playfully stuck her tongue out, "What's up?"<p>

"Nothing, it's just a little," she mumbled the next part so Boone couldn't hear, "Quiet up here. It'd just be nice to have some company." The blonde gave a nod, "Gotcha."

"Sorry to interrupt the chit-chat, but do we want to stop in this building?" Boone questioned, pointing to a building on their left. Natalya quickly looked at her Pip-Boy and gave him an odd look, "It's a pump station. I don't think it's really appropriate for us to be invading people's water supply." Boone shrugged, "I wasn't suggesting anything, just curious what your plans were." The sisters looked to each other, wondering what he was up to. Sensing that they were questioning his intentions, he felt the need to explain himself, "I'm with this group because I agreed to help you get your revenge. I understand your motives. If there was somewhere you wanted to stop before or after we deal with Vegas, that's fine. That being said, I just want you to know that if your intentions aren't similar to my beliefs, I won't hesitate to step back and wait for your business to be completed."

The sisters stared at the sniper not only because he had never spoke so much around them, but because who knew the guy could be so understanding. "Well, ah, thanks Boone. It's nice to know you won't abandon me," Natalya awkwardly thanked him. He gave the girls a nod.

Suddenly, silence never sounded more pleasant to Natalya.

* * *

><p>"So you met them at the trading post?"<p>

Veronica seemed lost in thought, looking to the big building that Boone was pointing at. "Hm?" She turned to face Stranger, "Oh yeah, I joined their little group there. It was luck; I was only there because I was craving the greasy food at the trading post." Stranger let out a light laugh as Veronica smiled. "I take it you've never been to New Vegas before?"

"No I haven't," Stranger responded, "I live with my sister and grandma and I haven't really felt comfortable leaving them alone until recently. Luckily we live in the middle of nowhere, so the biggest threats we'd get would be a stray mole-rat. What about you; you ever been there?" Veronica shook her head, "Nah. I don't travel well alone and hardy anyone from the brotherhood travels at all. They just sit in a bunker and wait."

"Brotherhood? Like the Brotherhood of Steel?" Stranger questioned. Veronica smacked her forehead, "Right, sorry, I never told you; yes, I'm part of the Brotherhood." Stranger nodded, "My father told me stories that he heard about them when I was younger," he explained and noticed Veronica make a nervous face, "Nothing bad, if that's what you're worried about."

"Yeah, let's just say a whole lot of people don't really like us," she sighed, "But it's our own fault for acting so high and mighty by burying ourselves and refusing to let anyone in." Stranger nodded his head in understanding. The duo walked on quietly, enjoying each other's presence.

* * *

><p>After a few minutes of walking, the courier stopped the group, "Does anyone want to stop at this Gun Runners place?" Veronica chuckled, "Well I don't," she joked playfully. "Might as well check it out. They have upgrades, so maybe we can make improvements to our guns," Boone suggested. The group all walked over to the stall, where a robot greeted them. They all scanned the walls, looking at all of the weapons, accessories, and ammo they had to offer.<p>

Stranger noticed Arianna hanging off to the side and looking just as much interested as Veronica did. He took a few steps towards the blonde, "What kind of a gun do you use?"

"Oh, me?" The blonde seemed to snap out of a daydream. She pulled her gun out from her belt loop, "I use this old thing. Just something my dad had hanging around his shop."

"May I?" Stranger asked and the blonde nodded, handing her gun over to him. It was a plasma pistol and it was in good condition, especially considering that it was lying around a work shop. He looked the gun over and then looked at the options for accessories.

"Here," he said, handing the gun back to the blonde and walking away. He set an empty bottle on a fence post, "How's your aim?" The blonde laughed uncomfortably, "Uh, it could definitely use some work." Stranger motioned for her to shoot the bottle. The blonde aimed at the bottle, bit her lower lip, and shot. She nipped the side of the bottle, causing it to fall off the post. Other than falling, the bottle was completely unharmed. "It's all right," Stranger reassured Arianna when she seemed a bit defeated. He walked towards the stall and the blonde saw him discussing something with the robot. He returned with a new scope for the pistol. "You didn't need to get that for me! How much was it?" The blonde inquired, but Stranger wouldn't budge. He took the gun from the blonde and switched the current scope for the one he bought her. He handed the gun back to her and returned to the fence post, where he replaced the bottle. He motioned for her to shoot again. As soon as the blonde aimed, she noticed a difference; she could actually see clearly through this new scope. She fired, shattering the bottle.

"Nice shot!" Natalya encouraged her sister. Stranger gave her a satisfied smirk and the blonde gave him a small smile as she holstered her gun. The others went back to searching the wall while Arianna walked toward Stranger, "Seriously, though, how much was this? It's only fair I pay you back," she insisted. Stranger shook his head, "Just knowing that you'll be able to defend yourself better is a good enough payback."

"But-" the blonde began, but Stranger cut her off by holding a hand up, "Don't worry about it." He turned from the blonde and walked back towards the others. It looked like Natalya was the only other one who purchased something, which was ammo. "You guys ready to go? Freeside is right around the corner," the courier exclaimed happily. The group literally turned a corner and there was the gates to Freeside.

"There's where I had my baby," Arianna said to Veronica as she pointed to a building. When the blonde noticed a blank stare on her friend's face she explained, "It's the New Vegas medical clinic. Not just a random building, I swear!" Veronica let out a laugh and nudged the blonde, "Okay, just making sure. It looked a little shady."

"You guys ready?" Natalya asked as they approached the gates. "Heck yeah, let's get this show on the road!" Arianna exclaimed and the others agreed.

Natalya pushed opened the gate and walked in to Freeside with the others following close behind. The group was silent as they walked and, sensing some disappointment from some of the members, Arianna felt the need to reassure the group, "Hey guys, let's stand over here for a few," she motioned to the sidewalk. When everyone was gathered around, the blonde spoke, "What's up? You don't seem as excited as before."

"Well no," Natalya began, "I was expecting to see excitement...not this." Veronica nodded in agreement. Arianna stared at her sister in confusion, "You've been here before, Nat. You don't remember?" The courier flushed and stammered, "W-well...I..." She groaned in frustration and lifted her bangs, showing her scar, "It's a little hard to remember anything after this!" The group remained quiet, everyone looking in opposite directions. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were suffering from memory lose," the blonde apologized. When her sister failed to accept her apology, she decided to change the subject, "In any case, Freeside is definitely not like New Vegas. Freeside is where people get stuck when they travel here thinking that they can make a living in New Vegas. Don't get me wrong, there are a few great groups that live here in Freeside, but you really don't want to come here expecting it to be like Vegas." The group took in the blonde's words. "I'm not sure if you want to just beeline right to New Vegas, but there are a few different places here to visit," the blonde spoke as the group began walking again, "Wait a minute. How many caps does everyone have?"

"About 3,000," Boone replied. "1,500-something," Stranger answered. Veronica and Natalya began counting their caps, "Wait-why are we counting our caps?" Veronica questioned.

"Well because we need passports to get into New Vegas. Last I knew they cost 1,000 caps," Arianna explained. "Nah, that was years ago! They jacked the price up to 2,000 caps and didn't tell hardly anyone! So now people like me are stuck in this hell-hole instead of Vegas," a bum sitting on the curb hollered to the group. "What?! Are you joking me?" The blonde exclaimed. The bum nodded in confirmation. Groaning, Arianna looked at the others.

"What are we gonna do?" Veronica questioned. Everyone was quiet for a moment before Stranger spoke, "I'm sure we could do some odd jobs for people around here. We could pool all of our caps together and hopefully have enough." Everyone nodded in agreement. "How many caps do you have?" Boone asked Arianna. "I have about 1,500. And I thought I was doing so good," the blonde answered solemnly. "Hey Ria, don't beat yourself up over this," Natalya patted her sister on the back, "It's been a few years since you were last here; things are bound to be different."

"Well let's walk around and see who needs help. Arianna, you said there are some groups stationed here in Freeside; can you take us to them? I'm sure we can find some work with one of those groups," Stranger strategized. "Who knows if the groups are even still here, but ok, let's go," the blonde mumbled as she began to slowly walk.

"I don't suppose there's anywhere to stay for the night?" Boone questioned, noticing the sun was beginning to set. Arianna looked to the sky, "Atomic Wrangler is a place to stay, but it's also a place to sleep with people, if you get my drift." Veronica and Natalya scrunched up their noses as the blonde continued, "Otherwise we can ask the Followers if they have any extra place to sleep." The blonde turned to the others with a smirk on her face, "Or we could sleep on the streets. It'd save us some money." The group looked between each other like they were actually considering the last option. The blonde scoffed, "That was a joke, guys. Unless we want to take turns watching guard, but I really think we should consider getting a room at the Atomic Wrangler before we hit Vegas so we can all shower up. Some of us," she looked to the men in the group, "Look a bit grimy."

"In the long run, it'd be less work if we slept outside. But what's this Followers place you're speaking of?" Boone inquired. "The Followers of the Apocalypse. They're pretty friendly. When I was last here, I remember hearing about how they'd try to help drug addicts kick their addictions and they'd even rescue people off of the streets," Arianna explained.

As the group turned a corner, they were caught off guard by two men running at them with pool cues in their hands. The group worked together quickly to bring the two men down.

"Well after that, I think we should definitely check out the Followers," Natalya remarked.

* * *

><p><em>well hey there strangers! hope you like the chapter, I've been horribly sick twice within two weeks, so I've been struggling to type. I've got some future chapters completed, so that's always good!<em>

_anyways, review or message me comments, questions, or any errors! thanks!_


	17. Back into the Hand

After the group dealt with the random attack, Arianna holstered her gun and pointed to a square shaped building that looked like a fort, "That's where the Followers are, at the Old Mormon Fort. Hopefully they aren't too crowded."

The group walked towards the front of the building. On their way, they saw children running around, people sitting around a fire, and many more things that just gave Freeside a horrible vibe. "Why are these kids running around this late?" Natalya questioned as they walked past children playing in the dirty streets. "Their mothers are probably strippers or prostitutes working in Vegas," Arianna explained nonchalantly, which earned her a few uneasy looks. "I'm not kidding when I tell you Freeside is a horrible place. If a prostitute or a showgirl gets pregnant, their kids often end up here. You can't shake your ass or sleep with people and try to raise a kid at the same time. It sounds like a terrible thing to say, but that's just how things work here," the blonde explained to the group as they kept walking.

The group took in the sights and avoided eye contact with the various people of Freeside as they approached the fort. Arianna noticed Boone looking up to the watch towers, as if he was waiting for someone to open the gate. "Oh, we can just go in. They don't guard the place very well," the blonde told the group and whispered her next words, "That's probably why they're always getting taken advantage of. Now help me with this gate," the blonde said as she pulled the heavy gate to the side along with the help of Boone and Stranger. The blonde then motioned for the group to head in.

As they walked into the fort, Natalya was taken aback. _What the heck are they guarding here? There's nothing here_! The courier saw her sister approach two people seated a few feet away from them.

Natalya decided to let her sister do the talking as she began to walk around, scouting out the fort. There were tents set up all along the walls of the fort and in each tent, there were some beds. The courier felt hopeful that they would have somewhere to sleep for the night.

Returning back to her sister, Natalya noticed that the blonde was now chatting with a woman who had a mohawk. She looked a bit more professional than the other two who greeted the group, so Natalya decided to walk over and see what they were talking about. "Oh Nat, great timing," Arianna began, "I was just telling Julie here that we can donate any spare medical supplies we come across if she can give us a place to sleep for the night. Is that ok with you?" The courier nodded her head, "Of course. It's the least we can do. My name is Natalya," she offered her hand to the woman, who shook it, "Julie. Thank you very much; we're always short on supplies." Arianna handed Julie some Med-X and a few other supplies that the group didn't necessarily need. "That tent over there," Julie pointed to a tent at the front of the fort, "Is all yours for the night. It has the most beds."

"Thank you," the sisters said and Julie turned to walk away. Arianna looked to her older sister and frowned, "I'm hungry." The courier nodded, "Yeah, me too. Let's get everyone together and see what they want to do."

After gathering their group together and proposing the idea of eating, the group brainstormed where to find food. "There's always the Atomic Wrangler. I know you all probably don't want to go there after I told you it's a whore-house, but we need to eat. And there's honestly nowhere else in Freeside to get food, especially considering that we don't belong to a particular group," Arianna suggested to the group. "Well if we have no choice," Veronica shrugged as she dug for some caps in her pockets, "At least we don't have to sleep there."

After collecting everyone's caps and getting orders for food, Arianna huffed, "So who's coming with me? I can't carry this all on my own!" Stranger stepped forward, "I'll go." Veronica raised her hand, "I can go with, too! I'd like to see some more of this place, as horrifying as it is." The blonde laughed, "All right, well let's go then! We'll be right back," she waved to her sister, Boone, and ED-E.

* * *

><p>As the trio began to walk, Arianna pointed to a place to the right, "Over there is a big place for homeless people to...live, I guess. I know, it seems like that's all Freeside is, right?" Stranger nodded as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for the homeless people. They had nowhere to go, no one to care for them. At least he had family and, now, some new friends, even if he wasn't exactly letting them into his personal life.<p>

"Hey, have you guys stopped by Mick and Ralph's?" A young boy hollered at the group. Stranger was prepared to ignore the boy and blow smoke in his face, but of course the blonde couldn't ignore him. "Mick and Ralph's? Don't they sell gun stuff? Kind of stupid, considering Gun Runners is right outside Freeside."

"Now, now blondie" the boy began as Arianna glared at him, "Mick is in charge of selling guns and accessories, but Ralph also sells some things." Noticing the boy way being very vague, Stranger decided to blow smoke in his face, "'Some things?'" The boy swatted the smoke away, "Yeah, _things_ that you can't buy anywhere else!" When the trio failed to show any interest, the boy groaned and spoke quietly, "Just check the shop out when you get a chance! I can't tell because some of this stuff isn't exactly legal!" The boy then walked away and began hollering about the store again. "Ok then, let's get going, shall we?" Veronica questioned and the trio began walking again.

They walked through a broken, old railway cart and when they came out the other side, Stranger was surprised by the difference of just a few steps; about three blocks of buildings down he could see the gates to New Vegas, it's tall, flashing buildings teasing him. Right in front of the trio was a big building with "The King's" in flashing letters on the front. "That's the home of the Kings. They're a pretty cool group. I've never had any problems with them and they seem friendly," Arianna explained. She then pointed into the distance, "Obviously that's New Vegas, guarded by the psycho robots that won't hesitate to fire a missile at you if they find you to be a threat." She then pointed to the right and trio began walking again.

"Hungry? Thirsty? Horny? The Atomic Wrangler has you covered!" A young blonde woman hollered. She was scantily clad and was attempting to dance sexy. She looked to the trio, but Arianna waved the girl off, "Thank you, we're actually on our way there right now." The blonde woman nodded and continued dancing and hollering about the Atomic Wrangler. The trio kept walking until they ran into another person promoting a business, only this man was talking about weapons. "Thanks for the information, but we just visited Gun Runners earlier to-" Arianna began to explain to the man as they walked by, but the man grabbed her arm roughly, "Well this is the Silver Rush, _not_ Gun Runners."

"Hey! Hands off of her," Stranger told the man. At first the man just stared at Stranger, but after he realized Stranger wasn't going to back down, he slowly removed Arianna's arm from his grasp. The blonde yanked her arm back and gave the man a dirty look, "Just for that, I'm definitely not checking out the filthy store you're promoting, asshole!" Veronica and Stranger quickly followed the blonde as she began to walk at a fast pace. "Arianna, are you alright?" Veronica asked. The blonde stopped and turned to face them, "Yes, I'm completely fine. I just have a really hard time when people push me around like that and others have to defend me," she explained and looked at Stranger, "It's nothing against you at all, it just seems like I'm always getting treated like shit and then someone, usually my sister, has to come stick up for me. It gets old after a while. I'm sick of being an easy target, but there seems to be nothing I can do to make people stop picking on me."

"I'm sorry," Stranger apologized. He wasn't apologizing for helping her, Arianna knew this, but rather for the fact that she had a situation that she couldn't control. But it made sense; if someone was to look at their group, it was easy to understand why Arianna appeared to be the weakest link. All of the girls in their group were pretty, but with Arianna's striking blonde hair and sex appeal, it made her stand out from the other two. If only words were just as powerful as weapons. The group began walking again, as the Atomic Wrangler was only a few feet away from them. They passed a few bums on the way before the reached the door.

Walking inside, Veronica and Stranger took in all the sights; it was a decent place. They followed behind Arianna, who approached two people at cash registers. Out of the corner of his eye, Stranger saw a figure on the second floor leaning on the balcony. The figure then quickly raced to one of the rooms and slammed the door. The trio turned their attention to the second floor where the sound came from and the female cashier chuckled, "Sorry about that start, folks! What can we help you with?"

"We'd like to place an order for some food, please," Arianna began. As she read off the list to the cashiers, Stranger decided to mingle. He heard some loud voices coming from the casino area, so he decides to take a peek. He was instantly filled with regret, however, as he walked through the doorway. "You pigs! You're really just gonna take a lady's money like that?! That was my drinking money!" A fiery red-head with a cowboy hat exclaimed. Stranger turned quickly after recognizing the woman, but it was too late. "Well shit, if it isn't my pal from Grub-N-Gulp! How's life treating you? Did your little group already ditch you?" Stranger turned to face the woman, but luckily before he could open his mouth and say something he'd possibly regret, Veronica and Arianna walked right up to them. "Oh, hi Cass!" Arianna began, a bit taken aback, "How have you been?" It was definitely an awkward situation, but the blonde was trying to work her magic. "I've been better. I keep losing money to asshole men with no respect for women. But I guess I'm still breathing, so I can't complain too much. Where's that sister of yours?"

"She's back at the place we're staying with Boone and ED-E. We're here to pick up some dinner," the blonde explained. Stranger noticed the blonde look at the red-head with an intrigued look on her face. "What's up, blondie? Having some fantasies about me?" Cass said with a smirk and then turned to wink at Veronica, who turned pink. Arianna stammered, "W-what?! No, I was just curious; are you headed to New Vegas?" The red-head rubbed her chin in contemplation before she spoke, "Yeah, actually I am. When you guys mentioned it earlier, it sounded like a good plan to me. With the way my life is treating me, nothing sounds better than drinking and watching some dancers shake their money makers."

The blonde's next words made Stranger want to shake her silly, "Why don't you join us? We have plenty of sleeping room where we're staying. The only thing is, you have to buy your own food and your own passport to Vegas." Cass pondered for a moment and looked at Stranger. Arianna scoffed, "He's really not that bad of a guy, I swear." The red-head looked between the trio in thought for another moment before she nodded, "All right, I'll do it," she then leaned in close to the trio, "I'll get one of those fake passports from that one store. I hear you can't even tell a difference and they're so much cheaper."

"Whoa, what?" The blonde asked curiously, but Veronica tapped her on the shoulder and mumbled, "Let's discuss this later." Realizing that there was quite a few pair of eyes on them, the group decided to head back to the dining area and wait for their food. Cass also took the opportunity to get some potato chips and alcohol. "I'm not sure if the people we're staying with will allow you to have alcohol," Stranger advised the red-head. She threw him a dirty glance, "Fine then, I'll be right back."

When Cass returned, she instead had a bottle of Sunset Sarsaparilla in her hand. "This is just a guess, but I'm assuming that's not actually Sunset Sarsaparilla in that bottle," Veronica remarked, causing Cass to smirk at her.

* * *

><p><em>oh hey! posting this real quick; I've had this stinkin chapter ready for a while, but I have a problem where I have to re-read my chapters...so yeah! xP lol!<em>

_woohoo, we've hit 30,000 words! *little happy dance*_

_as usual, pm me any questions and comments are always loved!_


	18. Under the Gun

After her sister and the others left, Natalya was left behind with Boone and ED-E; both of whom were scarce for words. _Why do I always get myself stuck in situations with these two_? She thought to herself. ED-E obviously wasn't a contender when it came to holding a conversation and Boone...well, after Boone's wife died, everything seemed awkward around him. No one really got along with Carla, but at the same time, nobody wanted that unfortunate outcome for her. Then after Boone revealed the truth to Natalya and Manny about his wife and unborn child, he opened up _slightly_ more. But slightly wasn't enough. Natalya sighed as she looked around, wanting someone, _anyone_ to have a conversation with her. She turned to look inside their tent, "I'm going to walk around a bit." Boone gave her a slight nod.

It was beginning to get a little too dark to see, but Natalya noticed a giant spotlight above her turn on, shining down on the fort. As she looked around the now illuminated fort, she noticed a tremendous difference in population compared to earlier; almost everyone was gone! The two greeters, the random people walking around: everyone! The only person that remained was Julie, and Natalya had noticed from talking to her earlier that she was a bit awkward when it came to conversation. Just when she was about to return to their tent, Natalya noticed a blonde man with thick black glasses and a white coat walking out from a tent. Maybe should could strike a conversation with him?

Natalya watched the man walk over to the chairs in front of the fort's entrance and take a seat. She looked back and forth, checking to see if anyone was meeting up with the man. When she realized that he was alone, she decided to approach him. "Hello," she greeted as she walked up next to him. "Oh, hello," he responded as he looked up towards the courier. Natalya sat down and smiled at him, but before she could get another word out, he quickly spoke, "If you're looking for medical help, try one of the doctors. I'm just a researcher, and not a particularly good one."

Natalya was momentarily speechless at the man's bluntness. "Oh. Well, what do you research?" She questioned. The man shrugged and explained to her how it was his job to find alternative cures for illness and injuries. As he explained his job, however, he was quick to shoot himself down and didn't give himself the credit he deserved for his research. It surprised Natalya how negative he was when speaking about himself because he seemed so level-headed and sophisticated compared to others she had met.

Natalya and her new acquaintance, Arcade, chatted for about a good 15 minutes. They spoke about his job, her job, politics, the Strip, anything and everything. It felt good to Natalya to hold a conversation with someone for longer than a minute. The silence between their words was beginning to stretch out, but before it got too awkward, the missing group members returned. "It was very nice talking to you, but food's here," Natalya began as she stood up. Arcade nodded to her, "It was nice meeting you, Natalya. I hope we meet again in this lifetime." He held his hand out and Natalya shook it. Suddenly, she had an idea, "Hey, why don't you come with us?" Arcade kept his hold on her hand as he pondered an answer, "How about I sleep on it? I may be well acquainted with you, but I know nothing about the rest of your team." Natalya frowned slightly as she realized she hadn't mentioned a thing about any of the people she considered to be an extended family. Arcade let go of her hand and she spoke, "What if we leave before you wake up?" Arcade chuckled softly, "Trust me, if I truly want to go, I won't sleep through anything. I just need to mull the idea around for the night; think of the pros and cons." Arianna called for Natalya to come eat. "Good night," Arcade told the courier, who nodded and began walking to the tent her group was occupying. As she walked, a small smile formed on her face as she thought of the new friend she made.

The smell of food hit Natalya as she walked into the dimly lit tent. "Here ya go," Arianna piped cheerfully as she handed her sister a plate with a Brahmin steak, some chips, and a bottle of Nuka-Cola. The courier thanked her sister and she began to eat her food. As she ate, she had an odd feeling. She realized the room felt a bit tense. She looked up and around at everyone to see what the problem was, and almost spit her food out in the process. _Red hair, cowboy hat...Cass! What the heck is she doing here?!_ Natalya glanced to her sister and the blonde rolled her eyes. The older sister motioned towards the entrance of the tent and the blonde nodded.

"What in the world...?" Natalya questioned her sister when the two were outside the tent. The blonde shook her head, "We saw her at Atomic Wrangler. She was fighting with some people at the casino-" Natalya scoffed, "-and then saw us. She wouldn't excuse herself from us; she just kinda stood there like a lost mole rat pup. She honestly looked really relieved to see us," the blonde glanced at the tent to make sure no one was eavesdropping, "Anyway, she looked so helpless, so I felt like I _had_ to offer re-joining the group to her. I'm really sorry if you think the idea sucks, just kick her out if she bothers you." Natalya put a hand on her hip and sighed, "It's really not a big deal, just a surprise, especially considering the way she left us over something so dumb. I doubt she'd stay long after getting into Vegas, anyways." The courier contemplated telling her sister about Arcade and how she offered him a spot in their group, but then she figured why bother when she wasn't even sure if he was going to come with.

The sisters made their way back into the tent where everyone ate and chatted amongst each other. Natalya sat quietly as she ate, observing the others. "Hey," she heard her sister begin, "So what were you saying about cheaper passports into Vegas?" Natalya looked up to see her sister was speaking to Cass. The red-head took a swig of what Natalya highly doubted was soda and nodded her head, "Right, can't start a juicy story and not finish it, huh?" She dug around her pockets and pulled out a passport, showing it to the group. The front side had her name along with an ID number on it. "It's exactly the same compared to the passes that those robots sell at the strip. The only difference is the price," the red-head explained as the group inspected the pass. When the card made its way to Boone, he investigated it for a while before speaking, "I'm going to buy one at the gate tomorrow. I have enough money and we need something to compare yours to. You talk about how similar the two passes are, yet you don't have one of the true passes on you to prove it."

Natalya swallowed her food slowly as her eyes move towards the red-head. Boone seemed to really enjoy pushing Cass' buttons. Sometimes it was amusing, but right now Natalya just wanted to eat and relax. When Natalya looked at Cass, she wasn't surprised to see an annoyed look on her face. The red-head snatched her passport out of the sniper's hand, "Ok mister hot-shot, you go right ahead and do that. But I don't wanna hear you cry when you realize that the passes are the exact same and you wasted your money." Even though the sniper was still wearing his sunglasses, Natalya could tell that Boone's eyes narrowed, "If you're so confident that they're the same, then why haven't you entered the Strip yet? Why are you camping out here with us instead of getting a room at one of the casinos?" Cass opened her mouth to speak, but Natalya had had enough, "All right guys, take this outside if you're going to keep taking stabs at each other. I want to relax and listening to your bickering is not helping." Cass and Boone both shut their mouths and Boone looked away in shame at how childish he was acting. Natalya noticed that she was either getting concerned looks or being avoided by the others. She cleared her throat, "Sorry. I'm just a little on edge. This just feels like the calm before the storm, you know?" She received a few nods and everyone went back to eating and minding their own business.

The air was tense, but what Natalya said had been the truth; this night truly was their calm before they headed into New Vegas. Vegas was the root of almost everyone's problems. Natalya's being the most obvious; Stranger was hoping to meet up with his father; Arianna needed closure; Cass wanted to fuel her alcohol and gambling addictions; Veronica wanted to see the world; and Boone basically needed something to keep himself busy and distracted from his past. ED-E was the only one who was just along for the ride, but for obvious reasons. Natalya glanced around as she ate and noticed the only chatter was between her sister and Veronica. Everyone else was silent as they ate. Natalya let out a quiet sigh; she wasn't trying to make things awkward, she just wanted peace.

When everyone had finished eating, Boone suggested they make a plan in case anyone needed to use the bathroom. They were to use the buddy system and to use the restrooms at Atomic Wrangler. After everyone agreed, they each made their way to a bunk bed and began to get settled in for the night. Natalya laid down and closed her eyes, trying to ignore her anxiety and worries for the following day.

* * *

><p>He couldn't sleep. He wasn't sure if it was because he was eager to get to New Vegas or if it was the uncomfortable mattress he was lying on, but he had only slept for about an hour. Checking his pocket watch, he saw that it was 2:30. He sighed and turned so he wasn't facing the wall. He glanced around at the beds and saw that everyone was fast asleep, except for the blonde. Her bunk was empty. Stranger grabbed his hat off of the floor, he went to go check things out. He was a bit irritated; they agreed as a group that if anyone had to use the restroom that they'd use the buddy system, as Freeside isn't exactly the safest place.<p>

Walking out of the tent, he saw the blonde sitting at the front gate where the greeters were previously seated. He couldn't tell exactly what she was doing, but he could tell she was leaning over the table. He quietly approached her and tapped her shoulder twice. "Oh!" She said in a surprised whisper. Stranger noticed the blonde was writing a letter, but she stopped and turned to look at him, letting out a small laugh, "You startled me."

"Sorry," Stranger began as he sat down in the chair next to her, "I noticed you were missing. I thought maybe you went to the bathroom without waking one of us." The blonde shook her head, "No, I just can't sleep. I want to write to my parents and son to keep them updated on where we are, so I guess this gives me a good opportunity to just relax and write." Stranger sat there for a moment, taking in the blonde's words. When he thought about his grandma and sister, he realized how much he truly missed them.

The blonde went back to writing her letter and Stranger watched her. He couldn't see what she was writing, but he assumed her words were kind and loving. "Hey, do you have some extra paper?" He questioned. The blonde looked up at him and nodded, "Sure do. You want some?" Stranger nodded and the blonde handed him a piece of paper. As she went back to writing, Stranger realized he had no writing utensil. "Sorry to keep interrupting, but can I borrow that pencil when you're done?"

"Of course," the blonde said without looking away from the paper. She wrote for about another minute before she cheerfully offered Stranger her pencil, "All done! Here ya go!" He took the pencil and began writing whatever came to him. He wrote about the group, about where they were, about how he was hopefully going to see his dad. The whole time he wrote, the blonde remained seated re-reading her own letter. When Stranger finished his letter, he noticed that the blonde was stuffing her letter in an envelope. He was about to ask for an envelope, but the blonde handed him one before he could open his mouth. After addressing the envelope, he handed the pencil back to the blonde, who did the same. As she did so, Stranger took a cigarette out of his coat and lit it up. The blonde looked up at him, "Why are you still dressed in your coat and hat? Do you actually sleep in that?" Stranger, who really had no answer, simply shrugged as he took a hit from his cigarette. He casually looked the blonde up and down, noticing that she was wearing some longer shorts (they looked like they belonged to a man) and a black tank top that she more than likely borrowed from her sister. Damn, so much for calling her out on her own lack of sleepwear. Arianna shook her head and laughed softly, "You're always so tense; so on guard. You need to relax every once in a while."

"I'm just eager to get to Vegas. It'll be much easier to relax there," Stranger lied. Between the courier's drama and wanting to find his dad, Vegas promised little rest. Arianna didn't seem satisfied with this answer, but she also didn't press on. "If you say so. Being on guard all the time adds a lot of stress on a person and could definitely shorten your life. But then again..." The blonde pretended to be holding a cigarette between her fingers. Stranger let out a small chuckle, "You sound like my sister." Realizing what he had said, he quickly shut his mouth. Despite how friendly the people in this group were, he didn't want to become attached to any of them. Everyone had their own lives outside of this and Stranger didn't want to get caught up in anyone's personal life. "You have a sister?" Arianna questioned. Stranger hated to act like a heartless bastard, but he simply nodded and flicked his cigarette away, "Yeah. We should head back to bed." The blonde, however, caught him completely off-guard with her next words, "You're right. We have a big day ahead of us. Thanks for keeping me company while I wrote this." She gently shook the envelope and stood, walking to the tent. Stranger stared at the blonde until she was out of sight. He decided to smoke another cigarette before he headed back to bed.

When he had finished his cigarette, Stranger stood, stuffed the envelope in his coat, and walked back over to the tent. When he was inside, he laid back on his designated bunk bed and actually found himself to be tired. Before he knew it, he was drifting off to sleep.

* * *

><p>Arianna walked to the tent discouraged, clutching her letter. She so desperately wanted to learn about Stranger's personal life, but things obviously didn't go the way she wanted. She walked quietly into the tent and crawled onto the top of the bunk bed she shared with her sister. She let out a small sigh as she slipped her envelope under her pillow.<p>

Arianna watched the entrance of the tent, waiting for Stranger to come back. She thought to herself for a moment, trying to figure out what it was about him that made her so intrigued. Ever since she first met him near Boulder City, she wanted to know more about him. Her father always told her a saying they had in the old world. "Curiosity killed the cat, Arianna. You just remember that saying when you start over-thinking that pretty little head of yours." She could practically hear her father's voice right now. She'd always been so curious about everything; about different places, about how things work, about people. She really loved analyzing people and that's why she was trying to get to the bottom of Stranger's past. She realized that her fascination with people could be mistaken for admiration and, therefore, appearing that she had a crush on said person, but she didn't care. Especially in this case, since Stranger really wasn't too bad on the eyes. Yeah, he could use a good shave and a haircut, but he was a pretty good-looking guy.

Arianna closed her eyes and tried to imagine what Stranger's home life was like. She knew he had a father and, now after tonight, knew he had a sister. What about his mother? Did he have other siblings? Where did he live? What was his name? Why was he keeping his personal life so private? _Because not everyone is an open book like you, Ria._ The blonde let out a soft groan as she opened her eyes again. She noticed that Stranger had come back in the tent at some point while her eyes were closed. She could only see the silhouette of his body, as it was too dark. She knew, though, that if he was looking at her, her side of the tent was also dark and therefore he wouldn't be able to see much of her either.

She swallowed as she thought about the idea of him staring at her. His eyes on her, watching her every move. She froze up for a moment, _I really need to get to sleep before my crazy ideas start to get the better of me._ The blonde turned over so that she was facing the wall and closed her eyes, drifting to sleep.

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><p><em>hello all! I have a few things to cover! first, I'm really sorry if my writing style is a bit...odd for some of you. I realize at some points in this chapter it sounds like I'm rambling on. but that's just my writing style, so I hope it doesn't bother anyone! (maybe you won't even notice!)<em>

_secondly, if you haven't already been able to tell, I'm going to start writing this story from my three ocs points of views; Natalya, Stranger, and Arianna. originally it was just Nat and Stranger, but Arianna's character has quite a past and I feel it's important to bring some light to her character. for example, last chapter was about Stranger and Arianna (and Veronica) going to Atomic Wrangler, so I wanted to make sure that this chapter covered what Natalya did while they were gone. that being said, I'm not going to waste time typing up uneventful things. for example, while Stranger and Arianna were awake in this chapter, Natalya slept the whole night. hope this makes sense and nobody minds the addition of Arianna's pov!_

_lastly, I'm looking for anyone interested in proof-reading the chapters before I post them! or even to critique the chapters, like telling me if something doesn't make sense or any other suggestions. if you're interested, please pm me!_

_yipes, long a/n! anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! reviews are loved!_


	19. Cards in the Air

Natalya woke from an amazing sleep; the best she'd gotten since her attempted murder. It was a little odd, she figured with all of her anxiety and excitement of finally making it to the Strip that she would get less sleep. But luckily this wasn't the case and she wasn't going to complain.

Looking at her Pip-Boy, she saw it was 6:49. _Up a little early, but nothing wrong with that_. She glanced at the other bunks to see if anyone was awake. Boone was sitting up in his bunk, quietly tending to his gun. Natalya also noticed that Stranger wasn't in his bed. Boone looked up and caught the courier's eye. She motioned to the bunk above him and mouthed the word _smoking?_ Boone nodded in confirmation and Natalya nodded her head slightly. Stranger was going to have black lungs before he hit age 30. Well, unless he already was 30. How old was he anyways? Catching Boone's eye again, Natalya motioned for him to follow her outside the tent.

Once they were outside and had found Stranger, Natalya spoke, "Since we're all up so early, why not go to Atomic Wrangler and take our showers now? That way we don't have to wait for everyone to get cleaned up all at once." Both of then men nodded their heads. "Yeah, we could do that," Stranger agreed. "Ok. Well I'm going to grab my clean clothes out of Arianna's bag. I'll be right back," the courier said as she ran back into the tent. As she was digging around her sister's bag, she remembered Arcade. _Oops!_ She thought as she wondered if he was just outside and she had accidentally blown him off. When she had her things, she walked back outside looking around to see if the blonde man was waiting for her. But he was nowhere to be seen. "You lost?" Stranger asked her sarcastically. Natalya made a face at him, "Ha, ha. Just looking for something." Boone and Stranger glanced at each other before following the courier through the gate.

As the trio walked, Natalya thought back to when she was trying to figure out Stranger's age. She tried to think of a way to ask him without being obvious. She watched as the man took out a cigarette and lit it up. "How long do you plan on staring at me?" He questioned. Boone turned to look at Natalya and the courier stammered, "I-I was just thinking..." Stranger looked at her, raising a brow, "Thinking about?" Natalya felt her face heat up as she tried to think of an excuse. In the midst of her embarrassment she blurted, "How old are you?" _Wow, real smooth. No wonder why you let your sister do all of the talking. Ugh!_

Stranger stared at her for a moment, "How old are you?" He countered. Natalya scrunched her nose, "That's not fair; I asked you first. I'll tell you my age after you tell me yours." Stranger shrugged, "25," he mumbled through his cigarette and blew smoke out as he spoke. Natalya thought he looked so much older, but maybe it was because of the scruff he had on his face. "I'm 24." Stranger gave her a nod, "You and blondie are twins?" Boone scoffed at the thought, causing Natalya to hit his arm gently. "No, she's younger. She's 22. And be nice, Boone. You and her may butt heads a lot, but I know deep down you care for her, you big softy."

The group was quiet for a moment before Stranger spoke up, "I'm sorry that I'm not open with you all about myself. I'd just rather keep this as business-like as possible. It's nothing against any of you, I just don't want to become attached and then have to part ways. Saying goodbye to someone you care about is hard." Natalya was in awe at how much Stranger was talking. In all honesty, Boone talked just as little as Stranger did, so Stranger's silence didn't bother the courier all too much. Definitely not like it bothered her sister. Sure, Natalya would like to get to know people more, but if they wanted to stay private, she wasn't going to force them to share stories of their personal life. "No worries," the courier began, "I understand that not everyone is an open book like Cass. Or my sister." The trio continued to walk with Stranger leading the way, as he already knew where Atomic Wrangler was. When they made their way to the other side of Freeside, Natalya noticed the gate to the Strip. "After we're finished cleaning up, I'm going to go buy a pass so we can compare it to loudmouth's," Boone spoke as they walked in the direction of Atomic Wrangler.

Making their way inside, the group walked over to the counter and asked for a room to rent. "We only need it so that our group can get a chance to bathe and clean up before we hit Vegas," Natalya explained to the man and woman at the cash register. "I see. I thought I recognized you," the man said, looking at Stranger. "Yeah, last night I was with some others from our group," Stranger confirmed. Natalya handed the man the caps that the group had pooled together and the man handed her a key. She turned to look at Boone and Stranger, "All right, well you can hang out in the room or stay out here. Doesn't matter to me." Both men glanced at the tables in the room and Boone motioned towards one, "We can wait out here." Natalya nodded and headed up the stairs and towards their room.

Unlocking the room and walking inside, Natalya scrunched her nose. It definitely looked the way she imagined for a whore house. The owners knew better; the last thing their patrons were looking at was the carpet or the furniture. Natalya locked the door and walked into the bathroom. She shut and also locked that door, also. She stripped out of her clothes and started the water. The water shot out loudly at first, but then the pipes gradually quieted a bit. As she adjusted the knobs to give herself the proper water heat, she noticed her reflection in the cracked mirror. She walked to the mirror and lifted her bangs. _Yep, still there. Where else would it be?_ She stared at the scar, still not used to it being on her face.

Snapping from her trance, she remembered all of the people that had to shower after her and that she shouldn't just leave the water running. She quickly stepped into the shower, letting the warm water soak her body. She glanced around the shower and noticed a bar of soap and a bottle of shampoo. 'Wow, I'm impressed they have soap! I'd be lucky when I'd travel if there was soap where I stayed.' The courier paused as she reached for the shampoo. Why was it that she could remember something as mundane as that, but when it came to recalling why she was carrying that platinum chip and Benny shooting her, she couldn't remember a thing. _Real funny how things like that work._ She thought, a bit irritated, as she lathered her hair with shampoo.

The courier finished her shower in about five minutes and the whole time she tried to ignore all of the grime that went down the drain from her body. The Mojave was so dusty and dry that the sand would stick to all of the sweat on a person's body. That little fact was one of the many reasons that people stayed inside their hometowns and never left.

After she toweled off, Natalya gave her reflection a quick glance. Her skin was blemish free and her scar was well hidden behind her bangs. The courier wasn't sure why, but she wanted to look her best for Vegas. Maybe it was to show off to Benny how well she was doing. Whatever the reason, she decided she looked fine and grabbed her hair tie. Looking at the object in her hand and back to the mirror, she realized how nice she looked with her hair down. _Ah, whatever. You only live once, right? And I'm sure my hair could use a day without being tied up._

As she put her panties on, she glanced at the fresh wrapping that she intended to use for her chest. She then glanced at her semi-flat breasts. For as long as she could remember, she used bandages to wrap up her breasts. Her sister, on the other hand, wore bras that their mother made. Natalya felt that her breasts weren't big enough to need to wear a bra, not to mention the straps on them seemed like they'd bother her. She wrapped her breasts up tightly and threw on her tank top and pants and tied her red bandana around her upper right arm. Her mother made all of the clothes that Natalya and Arianna wore. When you were stuck in the same town for 20 plus years, you developed such hobbies.

Natalya walked down the stairs towards Boone and Stranger after she was finished getting ready. "All done," she said, causing the men to look at her. Boone turned to the younger man, "Go ahead." Stranger got up and took the key that Natalya handed him. The courier sat down and sighed, _Awesome, I'm stuck with Mr. Talkative yet again._

* * *

><p>Stranger had a hard time sleeping consistently throughout the night. He'd wake up at random from hearing strange noises or from just being overly anxious to get into New Vegas. The last time he woke up, his watch read 6:13. <em>I'm sure everyone is going to be waking up soon, so there's no use trying to fall back asleep.<em> He got up from his mattress and stretched. He almost got a fright when he saw Boone sitting up awake, on the mattress above his. Almost. Instead he played it cool and nodded to the sniper when he finished stretching. He then grabbed his hat, put it on, and walked out of the tent.

It was already fairly bright out and there were a few people walking about the fort just like the day before. Stranger grabbed a cigarette from his trench pocket and lit it. The morning would be perfect if only he had some of the delicious coffee his grandma made back home. Coffee beans were a rarity in this day and age, but his grandmother had found a trader that would occasionally have the beans. Stranger remembered that when he was a child, his grandmother made a deal with the trader to have a warm meal waiting for him if he'd promise to stop by and give her some coffee beans. It was one of the many luxuries from the old world that had been long forgotten.

But sadly, Stranger was certain there was no coffee around these parts. Hell, you'd be lucky to find a decent meal around this dump. Stranger counted his blessings that he wasn't born in this shit hole. But at the same time, he felt horrible for the poor kids that were stuck living here because of their irresponsible parents. Unfortunately, that's just the way things were. There was no use feeling sorry for people when he knew nothing could be done to help. It would take more help than he alone could offer to turn Freeside around.

Finishing off his cigarette, he had an urge to smoke another, but he changed his mind when he glanced at his lighter. Every time he looked at the stupid thing, all he could think about was his sister. Then that would cause him to think about how she'd lecture him on how bad smoking is and in the end he always ended up feeling guilty. Maybe that was the reason behind the gift; to guilt him out of his disgusting habit. No matter what the reason, it worked this time, and Stranger tucked the lighter back in his pocket.

Glancing at the tent, Stranger saw Natalya and Boone emerge. The two walked towards Stranger. "Morning," he greeted them. Boone nodded and Natalya smiled, "Morning. Since we're all up so early, why not go to Atomic Wrangler and take our showers now? That way we don't have to wait for everyone to get cleaned up all at once." Stranger nodded his head, "Yeah, we could do that." The courier ran back in the tent to grab her things. Stranger glanced at Boone, who was standing there, looking bored. He never knew what to say to the sniper. What were you suppose to say to a guy that acted like he didn't like other people? Then again, Stranger supposed he probably seemed the same way to the others. He tried to talk as little as possible so that he didn't open up the opportunity to make friends with anyone. No matter, though, because when he found his father, this whole traveling thing would be over. He and his father had a lot of catching up to do. The courier walked back out to the two men and Stranger noticed she was looking around as if she was trying to find something. "You lost?" He asked her sarcastically. Natalya made a face at him, "Ha, ha. Just looking for something." Stranger glanced at Boone before following the courier through the gate.

As the trio walked, Stranger kept trying to fight the urge to smoke. He looked around to try to distract himself from wanting a cigarette, but there was only the miserable sights of Freeside to take in. And the fact that he could feel the courier's eyes locked on him didn't help the situation. _Fuck it,_ he thought as he popped a cigarette in his mouth. He rested the cigarette between his lips as he took out his lighter, lighting it with a quick flick. "How long do you plan on staring at me for?" He mumbled the question to the courier, as the cigarette was still being balanced between his lips. The courier tried to stammer some sort of pathetic excuse, causing Stranger to look straight at her, "Thinking about?" He noticed the brunette turn about 5 shades of red before she blurted, "How old are you?"

Stranger stared at her for a moment, taken aback by the question. He knew more than anyone that he never spoke of personal things to the group, but of all the questions to ask him, this is the one the courier chose? "How old are you?" He countered. The courier scrunched her nose, "That's not fair; I asked you first. I'll tell you my age after you tell me yours." Stranger shrugged. It couldn't hurt to reveal something so trivial, right? "25," he mumbled through his cigarette and blew smoke out as he spoke. "I'm 24," the courier responded. Stranger gave a nod. Then it was his turn to be curious, "You and blondie are twins?" Boone scoffed at the thought, causing Natalya to hit his arm gently. "No, she's younger. She's 22. And be nice, Boone. You and her butt heads a lot, but I know deep down you care for her, you big softy."

Stranger noticed the slight smirk on Boone's face and the smile on the courier's. For the first time since he started traveling with the group, he really felt...alone. He had no one in the group to make inside jokes with. Sure, when you took away this group of people, Stranger still had family left waiting for him, but he lacked any friends. The group was quiet for a moment before Stranger decided to explain himself, "I'm sorry that I'm not open with you all about myself. I'd just rather keep this as business-like as possible. It's nothing against any of you, I just don't want to become attached and then have to part ways. Saying goodbye to someone you care for is hard." He noticed the courier staring at him in awe after he finished speaking. When the element of surprise was gone, she found her voice, "No worries," the courier began, "I understand that not everyone is an open book like Cass. Or my sister." 'Isn't that the truth,' Stranger thought to himself as he remembered his encounter with the blonde the night before. He could tell that little sneak had wanted to get as much information out of him as she could.

Since he already knew where they were headed, Stranger took the lead when they made their way to the other side of Freeside. "After we're finished cleaning up, I'm going to go buy a pass so we can compare it to loudmouth's," Boone spoke as Stranger guided them in the direction of Atomic Wrangler. He considered getting one of the "real" passes, too. When he told the group the day before that he had about 1,500 caps, he hadn't actually counted them and had more caps than he originally thought. If he could afford a legit passport, why not get one? The trio walked into the Atomic Wrangler, approached the siblings at the cash registers, and Natalya explained the situation. "I see. I thought I recognized you," the man said, looking at Stranger. "Yeah, last night I was with some others from our group," Stranger confirmed. The courier handed the man the caps that the group had pooled together and the man handed her a key. She turned to look at Boone and Stranger, "All right, well you can hang out in the room or stay out here. Doesn't matter to me." Stranger looked to the tables and noticed Boone motion towards one, "We can wait out here." The courier nodded and headed up the stairs and towards their room.

Stranger took a seat along with the sniper. He glanced around the place, the small casino area catching his eye. If only he would've avoided that place yesterday, then they wouldn't have that loud-mouthed redhead with them again. But he assumed that after the group got into Vegas, she'd more than likely ditch them to have her fun. He let out a small chuckle as he thought about how obnoxious she was. "What's up?" The sniper questioned him. "Just thinking about Cass. If I wouldn't have lingered over there," he pointed to the casino area, "Last night, she wouldn't be with our group." The sniper nodded, "I see. I wish you wouldn't have walked over there, either." The two men chuckled before going back to silence. Stranger took out his lighter and a cigarette. As he lit it, he noticed a man walk by with his eyes locked on Stranger. Stranger glanced at the guy and blew smoke out in the guys direction. _Weirdo._

After about ten minutes of brief chatting, but mostly silence, the courier came down from the room. Stranger pretended not to notice her at first, but she caught him off guard with her hair down and he did a double take. He quickly looked away, however, as he didn't want to be staring. "All done," she greeted, and Stranger looked up at her as if he didn't notice her earlier. "Go ahead," Boone remarked and Stranger nodded as he got up and took the key that Natalya handed him. "I'll be right back."

When he got up to the room, Stranger felt slightly disgusted, but mostly relieved to be able to finally shower off. He got into the bathroom and began to strip his clothes off. He frowned when he realized he didn't have a fresh change of clothes. Maybe there would be somewhere in Vegas to buy some new clothes. But for now, all he could do was wash his boxers with soap and water and hoped they'd dry well enough by the time he was done showering. Luckily his other clothes were only dusty, so he gave the garments a good shake.

Deciding that his clothes were as good as they were going to get, he started the water and stepped into the shower. It felt heavenly having the water run down his head and body. It was a great change from the sweat that he grew accustomed to running down his body. He let his head hang for a moment as he enjoyed the water running down his body. His eyes scanned over his body, taking in all of the scars and hair that covered it. He noted that almost all of his chest hair was gone. _Radiation? Who knows..._ Looking down a bit further, he came across the dark hairs that led from under his belly button down to his manhood. He briefly recalled a girl that he had slept with calling it his 'happy trail.' Snapping out of his daze, he began to lather up his body with the soap.

After a few minutes of lathering up, rinsing off, and enjoying the water, Stranger decided it was time to get out. As he toweled off, he looked for a razor. He had noticed that he was getting quite a lot of hair on his face. When he found a razor, he shaved the best that he could without being able to see properly in the mirror due to it being fogged up. There was probably still a bit of light stubble left on his face, but whatever. It wasn't like he was going to be entering any beauty contests. Stranger put his slightly damp boxers and the rest of his clothes on. When he made sure he still had everything in his pockets; watch, cigarettes, lighter, gun; he grabbed the key and headed downstairs.

As he approached the courier and sniper, he tossed the keys in the sniper's direction, "You're up, buddy!" He exclaimed as Boone caught the keys. "I'll be right back," he told them as Stranger sat at the table with Natalya. It was silent for a while before Stranger grabbed his pack of cigarettes and counted them, "I'll be back in a sec," he told the courier as he walked to the register. After buying two packs of cigarettes, Stranger sat back down with Natalya. "That is such a bad habit. Well, I guess it could be worse, but it's not very healthy for you," she lectured him. He scoffed and gave her a look, "You sound like your sister." She shrugged and the two sat in silence for a moment. "Can I ask you a question?" The courier asked. Stranger was going to nod, but hesitated, "You can ask me anything, but I might not want to answer it." Natalya squinted her eyes at him briefly before speaking, "Ok, well since it's just you and me sitting here, I thought you could give me the real reason why you were following me and Arianna."

Stranger rubbed his chin in thought for a moment before he answered. Anytime she asked this question in the past, he would just give her the runaround. Maybe it was time to be completely honest. "Honestly, because I was bored. I literally live in the middle of nowhere. I don't live in a town, just a house on a hill with my family," he didn't feel the need to elaborate on which family members he lived with, "When I was about 15 or 16, I started leaving the house to meet with traders to help get supplies. Then I learned the harsh ways of the Mojave and had to start using the gun my father gave me. Since my father didn't live with us, it was my job to be the man of the house. So after years and years of promising myself that I'd somehow be involved in changing the Mojave around, I decided to follow you. I've always wanted to make a difference in this shit hole world we live in. You either die a hero, a villain, or just die and I'd like my name to go down in history. You're going to shake things up when you get to Vegas. You're going to get revenge on the head of a casino. And you've also got the head of all of New Vegas wanting to meet you first thing when we get there. No matter what you do, you're going to be talked about everywhere; You're the courier that survived a bullet to the head. How could I pass up following you? It sounded like one hell of an adventure to me." Stranger shocked himself with how much he just spoke. That was probably the most he's spoken to anyone in the group. "Is that a better answer than the ones I've given you before?"

The courier nodded, laughing a bit, "Yeah, that's a much better answer. I wasn't trying to pry into your personal life, but I just really wanted to know why, you know? I mean, you helped us back in Nipton and I'm sure other places that I'm just not realizing. It's just crazy to think that you, me, and Ria have been technically traveling together since Goodsprings." Stranger nodded, the courier did have a point. Had you asked him back in Goodsprings if he ever thought he'd be sitting here, chatting with the courier, he would've thought you were mad. But now, he was almost relieved that the sniper had caught him. The two sat in a comfortable silence until Boone came down from the room. "Let's go get your passport and get back to the others," the courier stated and the trio exited the building.

Walking through this side of Freeside was just as horrible as the other side. It had significantly less homeless people, but it was still trashy, nonetheless. 'You'd think the place would be kept a bit nice to lure people into Vegas. But then again if they kept it too nice, maybe people would stay here rather than enter Vegas.' Whatever the reason, Stranger sincerely hoped that Vegas wasn't going to be a dump like Freeside.

The group approached the gate and a securitron hastily made it's way over to them and ordered that they show their passports. "Hold on there, I'm here to buy a passport," Boone spoke as he pulled his caps out of his pocket. "That will be 2,000 caps," the securitron said as the sniper handed the caps over. "Name, please," the securitron demanded. "Craig Boone." The securitron placed the caps in a compartment on it's body and started making a strange noise. Suddenly a passport popped out of the securitron's chest and it handed the passport to Boone, "Here is your passport. Are you folks also buying?" Stranger intended on buying a pass, but forgot they required your name. He glanced at the other two, "Do you guys mind..." He began, but felt silly asking them to buzz off. The sniper nodded his head and pulled Natalya's arm gently. When they were a safe distance away, Stranger handed his caps to the securitron and it repeated the process. When all was said and done, the securitron handed Stranger his passport. "Thanks," Stranger said and turned to the others as he tucked his passport safely in his coat pocket. The trio then walked back to the fort to meet up with the rest of the group.

* * *

><p><em>well hello everyone! so summer is here and I have a new goal for my story for the summer; to get at least one chapter out a month. AT LEAST! I'm hoping to dish out much more than that, but I live in a beach town, so unless I'm sick or it's raining out, I don't know the definition of "indoors" during the summer. today happens to be very shit weather! :(<em>

_anyways, please leave reviews, questions, or comments. this chapter is much longer than my other ones are! I kinda like doing it this way, so I hope you all like long chapters! xoxo_

_**EDIT**: wow, I've edited this chapter like five times! sorry to anyone that keeps getting notifications about me posting a new chapter. I really need to proofread better next time. anyone want to beta for me? lol_


	20. Shuffle Up and Deal

Arianna stretched out in her bed and groaned. She really didn't feel like getting up, but it was probably late in the morning and she and Jace needed to start their day. She rubbed her eyes and leaned over her bed to look at her son. She opened her eyes and frowned at the sight before her. _Oh right. I'm not at home._ The blonde closed her eyes, sighing, and laid back on the stiff mattress. She looked around the tent and realized that her sister, Boone, and Mr. Anti-Social were missing. _Maybe that isn't the best nickname for him since that could easily be Boone's. I'll have to think up another._ Then again, maybe it wasn't fair to think negatively of him. He did state that he wanted to keep his identity to himself, so he was obviously a very private person. The blonde reminded herself that just because she had no problem being open with others, didn't mean that everyone else also felt that way. _Well I'll at least figure out his name before we part ways. I know I can do that!_

After setting the childish goal for herself, Arianna sat up. She retrieved her leather coat from its position as her pillow and pulled the picture of her son out of one of the breast pockets. The picture was one of her most prized possessions, that is, besides the boy himself. When the blonde saw Veronica stirring in her bed, she tucked the picture back into her jacket pocket. Hopping off of the top bunk, the blonde put her jacket on. She then grabbed her red bandana, but decided to throw it in her backpack. She'd put it in her hair after she had bathed. The blonde walked to the entrance of the tent and stood there, glancing out at the people walking around. "What time is it?" Veronica asked in a groggy voice, causing Arianna to look back in her direction, "I'm not sure. My sister is the only one that I know has a watch. Well, a Pip-Boy, but whatever." Veronica sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Boone, my sister, and mystery man are probably at Atomic Wrangler showering. Smart idea; then we don't have to wait in a long line," Arianna explained as Veronica put her hands down and nodded. Her hood had fallen off during her slumber, revealing her short, brown hair. Arianna thought it looked really cute and considered telling Veronica that, but didn't want to make things awkward. "Should we wake that one up?" Veronica pointed to the redhead sleeping above her. The blonde scrunched her nose and shrugged, "Might as well. We should shower as soon as they get back."

Arianna walked over to the bunk that Cass and Veronica shared. She gave the redhead a few gentle pokes on her arm, causing the redhead to snort. The blonde's eyes widened and she looked to Veronica. The two tried hard to laugh quietly, causing their faces to turn slightly red. When they had a moment to catch their breaths, Veronica stood next to Arianna and the blonde tried again. "Mmm, baby, I'm not finished with you yet," the redhead muttered and attempted to roll over. The top bunk, however, lacked anything to keep a person from rolling off. So before they had a moment to assess the situation, Arianna and Veronica's arms shot out, both of the girls catching the redhead as she fell to the ground. It caused them all to fall in a pile on the floor, just in time for the others to walk in the tent. "What's...? You know what, I don't think I want to know," Natalya said as she walked past the three and sat on her bunk. "Aww, your hair looks very pretty like that, Nat," Arianna gushed, but was cut off by a hotheaded ginger. "What the hell?! What are you two doing to me?" Cass hollered as she sat up, getting out of Arianna and Veronica's grasps. "Excuse me?" The brunette questioned, irritated. "We could've just let you fall, you know. That would've been a real pleasant wake up, huh?" The blonde's voice was dripping with sarcasm as she stood and brushed herself off. "Here's the key to our room, if any of you...ladies are interested," Boone held out the key. Arianna glared at the sniper for his implication that she wasn't a lady and ripped the key out of his hand. "Thanks," she said as she grabbed her bag and walked out of the tent.

_Stupid Cass. I should've let her fall. Sometimes I really can't stand some of the people in this group._ The blonde was ripped from her thoughts when she ran right into Stranger's chest. "Oof," she muttered and backed away. "Morning," the man greeted her and flicked his cigarette. _He's smoking. What a shock. _"Morning," Arianna nodded to him and then looked back to make sure Veronica and Cass were following her. When she realized they weren't, she bristled. "Hey, cool down. Boone and I just got passports, so they're probably comparing his to Cass'." The blonde felt a bit embarrassed, "Oh." She stood there awkwardly for a moment longer before she decided she should go in the tent and see what was going on.

"...same damn thing! See, you lost out on caps, you fool," Arianna heard Cass comment as she walked back into the tent. They were all gathered around the two cards, trying to spot a difference. "Let me see?" The blonde questioned. Everyone looked up to her and Boone handed her the cards. She could already tell by the look on the sniper's face that he had been defeated, but she decided to look anyways. She felt someone approach her from behind and when the smell of cigarettes engulfed her, she didn't even need to look to know who it was. She could feel him looking over her shoulder at the cards as she scanned them. "Yeah, I mean I don't see one flaw on Cass' passport," the blonde began as she looked up to the others, "That guy obviously knows what he's doing. I think you and I should really consider saving the caps and getting our passes from Mick and Ralph's." Arianna was speaking to Veronica, who nodded. The blonde retrieved her backpack, reached inside, and threw a small pouch to her sister. "What's this?" Natalya questioned her younger sibling as she shook the small bag. The courier's eyes shot up to her sister when she realized it was a bag full of caps. "It's for a legit passport. You're the reason we're all making this journey. If you got one of these fake passports and for some reason we got caught, they'd never let you into Vegas. Well maybe they would because House wants to meet you, but then again he should be letting you onto the Strip for free, but I guess the man has to make his money somehow," the blonde rambled and shook her head, "Anyways, I just think you should get a legit passport, so I'm giving you my leftover caps. I think with your caps, it'll be enough. Or close, at least."

Natalya stood in shock, staring at the bag of caps in her hands. _Just say thank you or something, you dork! _The blonde thought. The courier looked up and gave her sister a warm smile, "Thank you, Ria. I owe you one." The blonde smiled in return as her sister embraced her in a hug, "Don't mention it. We'll try to be quick," Arianna began as she pulled back from the hug and looked to the other women in the group, "You ladies ready?"

Cass was getting her things together, "You know, the three of us could just shower together." Arianna squinted her eyes at the redhead and glanced to the men of the group. The blonde knew what the redhead was doing; she was trying to get the guys all riled up. Arianna pondered for a moment over which guy Cass wanted to shack up with the most, but that idea quickly died when she thought of Boone. Arianna knew Boone too personally and the idea of him getting intimate was just gross. "Sure Cass, whatever you-" the blonde began, trying to make light of the situation. That, of course, backfired. "I knew you were bi-curious, blondie! You little tramp!" The redhead exclaimed. Arianna immediately turned a shade of pink, as the statement of her being bi-curious wasn't false. "Wow, ok, can we get going?" The blonde tried to change the subject. "Geez, in that big of a hurry to see the goods?" Cass further pushed the blonde's buttons. Arianna walked out of the tent groaning, the other two women following closely behind her.

* * *

><p>The women made it to Atomic Wrangler and walked up to their room. "All right, who wants to shower first?" Arianna questioned. Veronica pointed at Arianna and Cass shrugged, "Go ahead, blondie. By the way, I take it I was right in assuming which way you swing?" Arianna sighed and shook her head, "This again? If you must know, yes, I like men and women. There, happy? Doesn't mean I'm doing anything with you though! I have to actually like a person!" The redhead laughed. She clearly enjoyed pushing people out of their comfort zones. "If she bothers you too much, feel free to come hang out in the bathroom with me," the blonde told the brunette. Veronica chuckled, "I think I'll be all right. At least I hope."<p>

Arianna closed the door to the bathroom and set her backpack on the floor. She grabbed a towel as she began to undress. After she disrobed her jacket, she glanced at her arms. She shook her head in disgust at the sight before her. Her inner arms were covered with faded scars from needles back from her 'good old days' in New Vegas. To be completely honest, the blonde was so nervous about going back into the Strip that she felt she was going to be sick. She was nervous for her sister, she was hopeful for Stranger finding his father, and she was a nervous wreck when it came to thinking about confronting her past demons. But this had to be done. Ignoring the scars and the inevitable reason as to why she always wore a leather jacket, she continued to undress. She carefully untangled the star bottle cap necklace that she had on as a bracelet and gently set the necklace in her backpack. When she was finished, she started the water and got in the shower.

After spending a good few minutes in the shower making sure everything was clean and shaved, the blonde turned the water off. Wringing her hair out, she opened the door to the shower and let out a yelp at the sight before her. "Cass! What the hell?!" The redhead threw the towel and the blonde clumsily caught it. "I just wanted to see the goods. You can't blame me; those pups were practically begging to pop out of the top you were wearing," Cass spoke as she headed for the door. She exited and left the door open a bit so that the blonde could still hear her voice. "So what are you wearing to Vegas? Same thing or something a little more scandalous?" Arianna looked in her bag, not really remembering what clothes she had packed. None of the clothes she had with her could be considered appropriate for the Strip. But it didn't matter, because everyone else was wearing their same clothes, too. The blonde plucked out a light blue belly shirt, a pair of grey pants, and a fresh pair of panties. She scrunched her nose when she realized she forgot to pack another bra. "I'm just basically wearing the same as I've been wearing," the blonde shouted to Cass as she put her undies and bra on. "You can open the door. I'm somewhat decent," Arianna hollered as she pulled a hair brush out of her bag and began brushing her hair. The door opened and she glanced at Cass and Veronica. "I'm going to jump in while you get ready. If that's ok with you," the redhead looked to the brunette, who shrugged. "Be my guest. Just please try to save a little bit of hot water."

Arianna stared at her reflection as she brushed her hair. _Maybe I'll leave it down. Maybe I can find a rich guy in Vegas to take care of me and Jace. Not that my parents don't do a good enough job, but who wants to live with their parents?_ Lost in her own thoughts, the blonde didn't feel the redhead sneak up behind her, "Geez, blondie, I didn't know that's how you rolled," Arianna glanced to Cass and was about to say she was fine, but then she realized what the redhead was looking at. Her arms. "No, no. I don't use chems anymore. These are old scars from back when I used to live in Vegas." There was a silent pause before the redhead began undressing. _Touchy subject, _Arianna noted and went back to primping. She took out a small plastic container filled with powder out of her bag. "What is that?" Veronica asked. She was still seated on the edge of the bed, right outside the bathroom door. "It's makeup. Old world things," the blonde began, "My family has a fascination with history. One day I read up on makeup and figured I'd try making some." She pulled out a short bristled brush and began to rub the powder over her face, "You guys are both welcome to use some. All it really does it make your face seem less shiny when you sweat."

After she finished putting her clothes and makeup on, the blonde was still undecided about what to do with her hair. Cass turned the water off and opened the shower door, wrapping a towel around her body, "Now _that_ hit the spot. I can't remember the last time I had a nice, warm shower with soap!" Arianna ignored the redhead and continued to try to figure out a hairstyle she liked best. "Good idea blondie; might as well try to pick up a sugar daddy in this place." Arianna grimaced, especially considering the fact that she had just thought of that idea herself. "No, Natalya told me to dress as decently as I could with what limited clothes we have."

"Ah, older sisters know best," the redhead remarked as she began to put her clothes on. Arianna rolled her eyes. Cass _really_ loved pushing people's buttons. Suddenly, she felt hands running through her hair, "What are you doing?" Cass shushed the blonde and continued to fix her hair up, "I'm decided on a hairstyle for you, since you obviously can't." The redhead then grabbed one of her hair ties and finished. Arianna looked into the slightly foggy mirror and actually liked what she saw; her hair was pulled back into a half up-do. It was actually really cute. "Thank you," the blonde said as she packed up her bag. "No problem. See, I can be nice. Sometimes," Cass said as she finished getting ready. The redhead had to wear the same clothes and put her hair back up and her hat back on. "You're up," the redhead told the brunette as she walked out of the bathroom. "I'll try to be quick," Veronica remarked as she walked in the bathroom. It was obvious she was just as eager to get to Vegas. It was understandable, considering she'd never been to many places.

Arianna sat on the bed hoping time would go quickly. She really didn't want to sit with the redhead more than she had to. "So," Cass began and Arianna wondered what the redhead had to say now. "Your sister and that sniper; how long have they been together?" The blonde's eyes widened slightly and she covered her face, laughing. She knew she was probably just pissing off the fiery redhead, but that was one of the funniest things that she'd heard in a while. "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be rude," Arianna explained, "We've lived by Boone for a few years now. He's almost like family." When Cass failed to say anything, Arianna added, "Like an older brother." The redhead nodded, "Gotcha. I was just curious," she shrugged, acting rather aloof. The change in her demeanor made Arianna very curious as to why she asked the question in the first place, but she didn't press it. She didn't feel like getting into an argument with the redhead.

A few minutes had passed and Veronica walked out of the bathroom. She was wearing the clothes she had previously worn. "Why don't you borrow some of blondie's clothes?" The redhead suggested. Arianna glared at her, knowing that she was trying to bully the brunette. "I think she looks just fine," the blonde remarked, knowing that Veronica wouldn't be interested in wearing her clothes. Cass shrugged and got up from the bed, "Just a suggestion."

The women walked downstairs and Arianna returned the key to the woman at the register, "Thanks for your business and choosing Atomic Wrangler." The blonde nodded, "You're welc-" she was cut off by a man rudely bumping into her. The blonde watched the man proceed up the stairs, walk into a room, and slam the door. Unfortunately the whole time she watched him, Arianna never saw his face. The blonde looked to Veronica; the two women had witnessed this same behavior when they were here the night before. "I apologize for my client's behavior. He's not normally like this," the woman explained to the trio. "It's all right. Have a good one," Arianna and Veronica smiled to the lady as they walked out. The two women walked outside, where Cass was already waiting for them. "Come on, slow pokes. We've got alcohol, casinos, and men to hit up!" Arianna and Veronica looked between each other, shaking their heads. "I bet she ditches us after five minutes of being in Vegas," Arianna said. "Five minutes? I think she's gonna ditch as soon as we enter," Veronica countered. The two laughed as they walked a distance behind the redhead.

Making their way back to the side of Freeside where they were staying, Arianna caught sight of a mailbox. "Oh, hold up!" The blonde hollered as she ran over to the box, dropped her letter in, and ran back to Veronica. "Letter to my family," she told the brunette, who nodded in confirmation. The duo was silent for a moment before Arianna called, "Hey Cass, c'mere." The redhead made her way back to the two women, "What now?" Ignoring her obvious agitation, the blonde continued in a lower voice, "How much was your passport?" The redhead leaned in, "500 caps. Not bad compared to what the others paid, huh?" Arianna nodded and the trio began to walk towards the fort again. _500 caps to get back into a city with nothing but bad memories and a ruined youth. Even if it was free, it wouldn't be worth it._

* * *

><p><em>so sorry for the delay! real life is insanely busy...my daughter turned one at the beginning of the month, I'm getting married next month...chaos!<em>

_this chapter took me FOREVER. I was done with this chapter when I released my last one, but it's been re-written so many times. needless to say, I'm over this chapter! but now onto Vegas and the fun adventures!_

_comment or pm me any questions, suggestions, or errors! _


	21. Call the Clock

Stranger sat on his bunk after the three women had left to go shower. He decided to look over his gun to see if it was necessary to do any repairs. After fiddling around with his gun for a few minutes, he looked up and realized that the courier was gone. He looked around the small tent and his brows furrowed together. Only Boone remained in the tent and he was currently distracted by working on his sniper rifle. Stranger set his gun down and got down from his bunk, deciding to see what the courier was up to.

As he made his way outside, Stranger saw the courier speaking with a blonde man. Noticing Stranger walking out of the tent, the courier waved him over, "Hey! So this is Arcade. Arcade, this is...uh, Stranger," the blonde man had a perplexed look on his face as he glanced over Stranger, "Anyways, Arcade is going to come to New Vegas with us." Many thoughts ran through Stranger's head. _When did this decision come about? What is this guys' story?_ And _Maybe I should think up a fake name for myself so introductions aren't so awkward_. But most importantly, "How is he going to get into the Strip?" He turned from the courier to Arcade, "Do you have a passport?"

The blonde man glanced at the courier, then back to Stranger and adjusted his glasses slightly, "You know I actually haven't thought about that. How much are they?" Stranger and Natalya exchanged glances before they motioned for Arcade to enter their tent. When the trio got inside, the courier introduced Arcade and Boone. "So about the passport?" Arcade questioned. "Right, the passport," Natalya began, "We have a few members in our group that are going to be purchasing fake ones from a place called Mick and Ralph's. I'm not sure of the exact price, but when the girls get back Cass can explain it." Stranger noticed a look of hesitation on Arcade's face, so he decided to speak up, "The fake passports are an exact match to the real ones. Boone and I have real ones and one of the girls we're traveling with has a fake one. We compared them and the fake one is flawless. We visibly couldn't see a difference, but who knows with those robots." Natalya nodded and Arcade seemed to be mulling things over in his head. "Well I have roughly 700 caps to my name, so hopefully that's enough to cover the cost."

* * *

><p>"Hey guys!" Natalya said as the three women walked into the tent. "Hey, what's up, you guys ready to go?" Cass questioned, but was silenced when she saw Arcade. "Hi?" Arianna questioned, clearly confused. Arcade nodded to her. "This is Arcade. Arcade, this is Veronica, Cass, and my sister, Arianna," Natalya introduced everyone. After everyone exchanged introductions, Natalya turned to Cass, "So how much was your passport?"<p>

"500 caps. You change your mind about getting a _real_ one?" The redhead questioned. "No, Arcade is going to need a passport and only has 700 caps," the courier explained. "Well then, let's get you guys these passports so we can get into the Strip," Cass eagerly exclaimed.

As everyone packed up their things, Arianna couldn't help gawking at Arcade every so often. She thought he was a very attractive man, but something seemed different about him. "You nervous about Vegas?" Natalya asked, startling her sister. The blonde turned to face her sister and shrugged, "I don't know. It really hasn't all sunk in yet, you know? We've all got so much going on in Vegas, I guess I'm a little bit more concerned about everyone else's situation than my own." Natalya stared at her sister for a moment before speaking, "Ria, you really need to focus on yourself for once. I know my situation is a little chaotic and that you want to help, but you've got your own things you need to take care of first. I mean, shoot, you didn't leave Jace just to help me. I know you've got your own demons to face. If you need my help, don't hesitate to ask."

"Same here," Boone spoke. The sisters looked at the sniper as he continued, "I don't know the details on what's going on with you, but just know that I'm here to help if you need me." The sniper ruffled the blonde's hair, causing her to scoff at him. "Well, I appreciate the concern. Thanks guys."

"How cute. Can we get going now?" The redhead remarked sarcastically and began walking out of the tent. The others began to follow her. Arianna was the last one out of the tent, making sure no one had left anything behind. As she walked out, Stranger caught her off guard, "Hey, I know we aren't close friends or anything like that, but I just want you to know that I also have your back." Arianna stared at the mysterious man for a moment before shaking her head, "No, you saved me from those cazadores. I owe you." The blonde began walking until Stranger caught her arm, "Don't be like that. I may not know you well, but I do know you well enough to know that you're going to disregard everything your sister and Boone just said because you don't want to be a burden. I can help you." When the blonde failed to have a reaction, Stranger let out a small sigh and let go of her arm, "Well, come to me if you're in trouble, at the very least."

Arianna walked at a fast pace until she was caught up with the group. Her face was a shade of pink. Having someone who hardly knew her offer his help in a situation he knew nothing about was a little bit awkward. There were certain things she didn't want people to know about her past, and this revealed too much.

The group walked out of the fort and continued down the streets of Freeside towards Mick and Ralph's. As they were about to round the last corner to Mick and Ralph's, a man roughly ran into Arianna, who was daydreaming. "Oh!" The blonde exclaimed, coming out of her stupor. She rubbed her arm and turned around to face the man, "Hey!" She yelled. "Watch where you're going!" The man responded as he continued running. "Ugh, what a creep," Arianna muttered as she turned around to the others. "You alright?" Natalya questioned her. The blonde nodded, "Yeah, I'm fi-"

"Good, let's keep moving," Cass interrupted and began walking. "And she's in the group because...?" Veronica questioned as Arianna scowled at the redhead. Natalya sighed and motioned for everyone to keep walking.

The blonde took in the sights of the shop as they entered. There was no one in there beside the assumed two workers, Mick and Ralph. "Hello again," one of the men greeted, nodding to Cass, "I see you brought others." The redhead nodded, "Yeah, these guys need passports." The man shook his head, "You aren't very good at keeping secrets are you?" The man questioned Cass, who scoffed and turned the other way. "My name is Ralph, by the way," he greeted the others, "Normally I don't make passports for just any person who walks in here. Since old blabber mouth already spilled the beans, I guess I can't deny paying customers. How many do you guys need?" Arianna, Veronica, and Arcade raised a hand. "Do you think we need a passport for ED-E?" Natalya asked Ralph and pointed to the robot. "No. As long as he's accompanied by a human with a passport, it should be fine. One false move, though, and the Securitrons will unload ammo into him." The courier nodded nervously as Ralph turned to the trio needing passports, "All right, the cost for three passports will be 1,500 caps."

"500 caps for each?" Arianna immediately questioned. She received a few looks from others in the group, "There's no way your materials and expenses require that many caps. How about cutting the price in half?" The was a silent, uncomfortable moment and Ralph stared at the blonde before letting out a small chuckle, "I like your style, kid, but the best I can do is meet you halfway. 375 caps and we can call it a deal." Arianna looked to Veronica and Arcade. They both nodded, looking a bit stunned that the blonde had bartered the price down a little. The three dug through their pockets or bags for their caps and handed them over to the man, who gave them a passport in return.

Well, Arcade and Veronica did, at least. "What are you doing?" Cass asked Arianna, who was frantically digging through her bag for her caps. "I don't understand. I had the caps in a small bag that was tied to the side of my backpack. Where could-" The blonde cut herself off. Her eyes widened and ran out of the store.

Out on the streets, she scanned everyone's face, trying to find the man that bumped into her. She ran down to where the block ended, but she could find the man anywhere. 'Well, I guess if I was going to steal a bunch of caps, I would stay out of sight, too. Plus, he was running fast.' The blonde turned back towards the shop and saw her sister, Veronica, and Boone approaching her. "Ugh, that asshole stole your caps, huh?" The courier questioned her sister. The blonde nodded, clearly ashamed, "Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm just slowing everything down."

"Don't worry about it," Natalya said, waving a hand like it was no big deal. There was a moment of silence before the blonde spoke again, "You guys go ahead. I'll catch up. There's always odd jobs to be done and I'm sure I can scrounge up 375 caps." The blonde could tell her sister was holding something back, so Boone spoke, "No. We can all pitch in and help get those caps. It'll be quicker this way, plus no one gets left behind." Arianna smiled and nodded. Boone nodded towards the store and the blonde led the way back inside. "Thank you," Natalya whispered to Boone as they followed the blonde inside. "Hey Ria, next time keep your caps _inside_ of your backpack!"

* * *

><p><em>ok, I'm REALLY sorry for the delay. the holidays were suuuper busy and yeah. no excuses, I'm just really, <strong>REALLY<strong> sorry. :(!_

_this whole leading up to Vegas thing has been so difficult! the excitement doesn't really happen til you get to Vegas, amirite?! ok enough cheesiness!_

_leave reviews, love, comments, and questions! smooches! xoxo_


	22. Tainted Outs

After explaining the situation to the others in the group, everyone was in agreement to help Arianna get the caps for the passport. Well, almost everyone.

"I can't believe we're wasting time! We should've made blondie learn her lesson and ditched her," Cass complained. Stranger rolled his eyes as ED-E beeped. "I can't believe you're still complaining about _that_ after learning what our task is."

After agreeing to help earn the caps for Arianna's passport, the group split up into smaller groups; Arianna and Veronica; Natalya, Boone, and Arcade; and Stranger, Cass, and ED-E. Arianna and Veronica were assigned to collect debt from people for the Garret twins. Natalya, Boone, and Arcade agreed to help The King with a problem in Freeside. And, lastly, Stranger, Cass, and ED-E were given the task, also from the Garret twins, of recruiting prostitutes.

And despite already recruiting two of three prostitutes, Stranger was not happy about this. "Oh, suck it up! We're almost done, we've just gotta find the sexbot. Wherever that could be." A passerby gave the trio an odd look. "Okay, we probably shouldn't be discussing this in public. Strange looks really aren't something I aim for," Stranger told the redhead, who was deep in thought. "How about him?" She asked, pointing to ED-E. The robot beeped in protest and Stranger shook his head, "No, I think Natalya and Arianna worked pretty hard to get him working. I don't think they'd appreciate us trading him in to be used for those...services."

"Ugh, well we've gotta figure out where to get one. Maybe we can ask around," Cass jabbered, getting impatient, "Oh hey! Do you know where I could find a sexbot?!" Stranger watched Cass as she ran up to a stranger, who began to walk quickly away from the redhead. Stranger shook his head and wondered if the others were having this much trouble.

* * *

><p>Veronica and Arianna walked from the entrance of the Strip back toward Atomic Wrangler. They had just finished collecting caps and other items from a woman named Lady Jane. She was the most difficult person they had dealt with thus far. She didn't have the amount of caps she owed, so she bartered some sensor modules and cigarettes worth the amount she owed.<p>

"This'll have to work," Veronica began as she cradled the items, "Hopefully that lady knows the price of this junk well, because if this isn't worth anywhere near what she owes, I'm gonna go pulverize her myself." Arianna nodded in agreement. Deep down, she was pretty positive that the items would cover the cost of Lady Jane's debt.

Well, unless Lady Jane was incredibly stupid and wanted to be hounded again for the caps.

* * *

><p>Natalya, Boone, and Arcade walked back to The King's School of Impersonation after handling an argument between the Kings and NCR. Natalya was pretty proud of herself; they had settled the problem with words rather than action and therefore maintained a neutral status with both the NCR and the Kings. Though the courier had to admit, it was a little unnerving to have a group of NCR soldiers aiming their guns straight at the trio while their weapons were holstered.<p>

The trio entered the base of the Kings. They walked into the theater where the King and his dog, Rex, were often found sitting. Natalya was about to open her mouth to explain the situation to the King, but he spoke first, "I heard all about what happened. Maybe it's time for a little more talkin' and a little less fightin'." The courier nodded, "I agree. It seems that this was all caused by a big misunderstanding. I'm hoping that if something like this ever happens again, you all will communicate before making any assumptions."

"Yes ma'am, you don't have to tell me twice," the King nodded and scratched the back of his neck, looking slightly embarrassed by the situation. "You three have helped us plenty, so I'll tell you what. Just this once, name whatever you want, and if I can make it happen, it's done." Natalya glanced at Boone and Aracade before looking back to the King. "Don't rush it, though. Toss it around in your head a little. You only get one favor from The King."

"Hold that thought," the courier said, holding a finger up and then pulling Boone and Arcade aside. "Do you think he can get us a passport? I mean he's really well known, so maybe he just gets them for free." Boone shrugged, "Don't you think he'd be in Vegas if that were the case? Let's see how many caps we can get out of him. I'm sure we can try to talk him into enough caps for a passport with some to spare." Natalya looked to Arcade, "What do you think we should do?" The blonde man stuttered and shrugged, "I-I think that sounds like a good idea." Natalya could tell Arcade wasn't exactly the most confident person. She nodded and the trio walked back to the King. "So?" He asked them. "Well, how many caps would you be willing to give us for all of our hard work?" Natalya questioned. The King chuckled at the tone of the courier's voice and them rubbed his chin in thought. After a moment of thinking, he spoke, "1,000 caps." Natalya and Arcade's eyes bulged (maybe Boone's did, too, but no one could see due to his glasses) and the courier took a second to find her voice. She was expecting maybe 500 caps, so this was a pleasant surprise. She glanced at the others and Boone gave her a slight nod. "We'll take it," she said and the King smiled at the trio. He waved one of his members over and instructed the man to bring him a bag of 1,000 caps. The man nodded and walked out of the room.

While they waited, anxiety was beginning to really set in for Natalya. They were about to have the caps to get the last passport. Then, they would be in New Vegas. Then what? Would she die getting revenge? It was her small group versus a whole casino full of slick, smooth talking, dangerous men. The courier's stomach began to churn. A sudden whining caused her to look over toward the King. His dog, Rex, was whining and very slowly began to lay on the ground. The King pat the poor dog, "It's ok, boy." The courier was interested, "What's wrong with him?" The King turned slightly to look at the courier and continued petting the dog's head, "He's been acting peculiar for some time now. I took him to the Followers and had him checked out. They said his brain is bad or something."

"I remember Julie telling me about Rex," Arcade spoke, "It's a shame, really. He's quite a magnificent and complex creature. But far more complex than what we can handle with the little supplies and tools we have." After Arcade was done speaking, the man from earlier came back with a bag of caps, handing them to the courier. "Thanks," she said absentmindedly and continued with their discussion, "So there isn't anything you could do for him?" She questioned Arcade. He shook his head, "Unfortunately, no." The group stood in silence for a moment before Arcade spoke, "Ahh, now that I think about it, there is one person that would be able to help."

"Really?" Both the courier and the King questioned. The blonde man nodded and adjusted his glasses, "Yes. There is a man named Dr. Henry who specializes in brain surgery, which is exactly what Rex requires. He lives up north in Jacobstown, so it would be quite a trek. But I'm sure you'd all agree that it would be worth it." The King squinted his eyes at the blonde, "Not that I ain't happy, but why didn't Julie mention this when I was there?" Arcade cleared his throat, "Well I do believe your violent outburst distracted her from giving you any further information." The King rubbed his chin in thought, "Hmm, I do vaguely recall something about upending a few tables, maybe knocking out one of her doctors. But this is great news!" Arcade rolled his eyes at the lack of acknowledgment on the King's part. "Well that's great! Good luck getting Rex his surgery. And thanks for the caps," Natalya said with a smile on her face and the trio began to walk away. "Wait!" The King exclaimed and the trio turned around, "There's too much going on around here for me to make a trip like that. And I need all of my guys here to keep things settled," he looked solely at the courier, "You seem to be awfully interested in my boy Rex, and you've done some good work for me already. I'll tell you what; you promise to get Rexie to that doctor and I'll lend him to you. What do you say?" The courier's face lit up like a kid getting some candy. Boone nudged her slightly and she waved him off. "I'd love to take him and see that he gets better. The only thing is; I have some business in Vegas first and I'm not sure how long that will take." _Or if I'll even come out alive..._ "But after my business there, I'd be willing to take him to Jacobstown." The King nodded, "We've been waiting this long, I'm sure a few more days won't hurt...er, well, either way, I appreciate it." The courier nodded and gave Rex a pat on the head, "Ok, we'll be back for you boy! See you in a few days tops." The King nodded once and waved, "Good luck with your business. See ya soon."

* * *

><p>"You guys seem...cheery?" Veronica spoke as she and Arianna met up with Stranger, Cass, and ED-E inside Atomic Wrangler. The two women sat down at the table and Stranger squinted his eyes in Cass' direction. "Uh oh, trouble in paradise?" Veronica teased. The redhead shrugged, "Someone is just being a baby because one of the prostitutes we found tried to get fresh with him." Veronica and Arianna looked at Stranger, who was clearly fuming. "First of all, it was a <em>sexbot<em>," he hissed, causing Veronica and Arianna to glance around to make sure no one was listening to their conversation. Stranger noticed this and continued the conversation in a more hushed tone, "Secondly, _she_ tried to force the stupid thing onto me."

"Ugh, lighten up! It asked one of us to 'assume the position' so I thought you might like a good lay since you're always so high strung," Cass nonchalantly explained. Veronica and Arianna stared at the two for a brief moment before they burst out laughing. Stranger shook his head, rubbing his temples. "Sorry, that's pretty hilarious, though," Arianna said between laughs and wiped her eyes. Stranger ignored the women, "So how many caps did you two get?" The two women put a halt to their laughter and Veronica cleared her throat, "We got 300 caps." Stranger gawked at them. "What?" The brunette questioned him. "I just figured you two would be making more caps than us. We made 400," he explained. Cass scoffed, "What's it matter? We have plenty of caps now for blondie's passport," the redhead rubbed her hands together, "We'll be in Vegas in no time!" Noticing the blonde was staring at him, Stranger turned to make eye contact, "What's up?" Arianna blinked and shook her head, "I just can't believe they gave you guys that many caps. I had to do some hard bargaining for the amount we got."

"How much did she originally offer you?" Stranger questioned. "150 caps," Veronica answered flatly. Stranger's eyebrows rose and Cass' jaw dropped. "Damn, you got her to pay double what she originally wanted? Not bad, silver tongue," Cass exclaimed, patting Arianna's shoulder. "Shh!" The blonde hissed as she glanced toward the Garret twins to make sure they didn't hear the conversation. The blonde spoke quietly, "Well she had more stuff she wanted us to do, but it was all located in Vegas, so we couldn't." The group sat in an awkward silence, each individual not sure where to take their conversation next. The only thing Arianna could think about was Vegas. She had no idea what plans the city had for her. "Should we go see if they're waiting for us?" Arianna questioned. Before they all split up, they agreed to meet on the corner of the main road and the road that Atomic Wrangler is on. "Let's go," Cass nodded and everyone got up and out of their seats.

* * *

><p>"I hope it goes without say that I don't expect you two, or anyone else for that matter, to follow me all the way to Jacobstown. Don't get me wrong, the offer is there, but I'm completely fine making the trip by myself," Natalya explained as she, Arcade, and Boone walked to the meeting spot. Both men nodded. "I'll likely go with. Not like I have much excitement waiting for me back home," Boone stated. "It just depends on how much you put me through in Vegas," Arcade joked, causing the courier to smile. It was nice to know she had people she could rely on for help. "Ah, there's the others," Arcade noticed the rest of the group in the distance. Natalya was excited to tell the others of how many caps they had gotten for their hard work. And she was also excited to tell her sister that there was no violence involved. <em>No, but there'll be plenty of that in Vegas,<em> the courier shook the negative thought as they approached the others. "Hey guys!" She greeted them.

After discussing their missions and how many caps each group collected, the courier handed a small bag to her sister, "There you go. Now go get that passport so we can get into Vegas." The blonde smiled, "Ok, I'll be right back. Care to join me?" She questioned Veronica, who nodded and began walking with Arianna to finally go get her passport.

* * *

><p><em>so, I'm keeping up with my whole 'chapter a month' promise. woo!<em>

_I think I've finally, FINALLY figured out how to manage my time with this story. I'm gonna be honest; I have NO idea how people with toddlers and small children pump out a chapter each week. my daughter will only be this little once, so I spend as much time as humanly possible with her and I only type this story when she's sleeping. thank you all for understanding this!_

_if anyone has any questions, suggestions, or wants to point out errors, please feel free to HOLLA!_


	23. Author's Note

**_PLEASE READ OR YOU WILL NOT UNDERSTAND THE REST OF THE STORY _**

_I have some things to address, a lot actually, so I figured I'd make a sort of chapter dedicated to it. **I really hope that everyone is reading this because this is all very important!** _

**first**_; I've been re-reading some of the chapters and have noticed a few typos here and there. so I'm going to be (hopefully!) editing some of my earlier chapters. now, I have no idea how this looks to all of you. does it send a message that I've posted a new chapter? please, if anyone could _**_let me know_**_, because the last thing I want to do is spam everyone. also, if anyone would like to _**_beta_**_, that would be amazing! I really could use an extra set of eyes before I post a chapter. _

_**second**; I've realized a stupid, **stupid** mistake I made, but refuse to fix due to the flow of the story. I didn't realize that when you get a pass at the gate that you only have to pass a credit check. I thought you actually had to **pay** out 2,000 caps. so, let's just pretend, PLEASE, that you actually have to pay the 2,000 caps. can you tell I've never bought a pass from the Securitrons? _

_**third**; **THIS IS THE BIG ONE!** ok, so I love, **love** this game, but when I got to the Strip, I was a wee bit disappointed! when I think Vegas (maybe I'm the only one) one of the first things I think of is their weddings. you know; quick, speedy weddings or getting married by Elvis, typical Vegas stuff. so anyways, I've added a few more buildings and businesses:_

_***The Grove**- similar to Gomorrah in the sense that it has prostitutes and dancers in addition to the casino resort, but it's much more sophisticated. the inside has aquatic decor, the walls and floors are a shade of blue and the lights create a rippling water effect on some of the walls. some of the dancers have utilized the remaining pre-war fish tanks in the building by dancing inside of them. this building is unique to Vegas in that **it is not owned by Mr. House**. this casino has been in the Grove family for many, many years and they've come to a sort of agreement with Mr. House, so he allows them to remain on the Strip. _

_***Electric Chapel**- here's your typical Vegas-fashion wedding destination. Elvis won't marry you here, but there is an elderly couple that takes turns day and night running the chapel._ _their five children (the youngest being 18 years old) also help their parents with the chapel. _

_***That Place**- this is a very well known restaurant; the only thing is, is that it doesn't have a name. but it's well known for their Americana food, ranging from burgers to tacos. _

_*Lastly, **a tattoo artist in Michael Angelo's**. I just thought this would be a fun thing to add. it's only one woman, Berry, that does that both **tattoos** and **piercings**. she's very friendly and has a 1960's sort of vibe going on. but don't let her cute side fool you, because she gives the best (and only) tats around. _

_so that's all for now! next chapter will include the group entering the Strip, so I hope you all stay tuned! xoxo_


	24. In the Money

Arianna and Veronica walked out of Mick and Ralph's, both feeling giddy, but for complete opposite reasons. Veronica was so excited to finally visit the city she's heard so much about. Arianna, on the other hand, was just plain nervous. But she played it off like she was just excited.

"...know we're going mainly for your sister, but I mean everyone has their own things they want to do afterwards," the blonde was only half listening to what the enthusiastic brunette was saying, "Do you think your sister is nervous about confronting the guy who tried to kill her? She seems so calm, but deep down I wonder if she's a nervous wreck."

"Who?!" Arianna blurted out, only catching the last few words Veronica spoke.

"Your sister..." The brunette said slowly, giving the blonde an odd look. "You feeling ok? You look pale."

The blonde took a deep breath and shrugged, "Don't worry about me. I'm fine. I'm just worried...about my sister."

Veronica stared at the blonde, knowing that she was lying. The two walked in silence for a moment before Veronica looked at the blonde smugly, "Hey, didn't you say you have business in Vegas, too?"

_I really need to keep my mouth shut._ Arianna thought before speaking, "Oh yeah, but that's nothing major. Just have to catch up with some old friends." She chuckled nervously when she was done speaking, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. The blonde turned to look at the brunette, but she wasn't there. "What-?" She questioned and turned around, seeing Veronica just standing there. "What are you doing?"

"You need to talk; I can tell. Let's stop and talk for a few," Veronica explained, waving her friend over.

"Oh, no, I can't. We have to go back before the others start to worry and come looking for us. Plus, it's way too long of a story," the blonde tried coming up with every excuse she could, but Veronica wouldn't budge.

"No, you're going to tell me what's up. You're my friend. I don't want something to end up happening to you and not know where you are." The blonde looked down, unable to hold eye contact, "I mean, even your sister doesn't really know what's going on with you, does she?"

Arianna shook her head, "No she doesn't. I don't like to trouble people with my problems."

The brunette scoffed, "Well you're going to be causing us some real problems if you don't let at least one of us know what's going on."

The two women held each other's gazes before the blonde sighed heavily, not wanting to give in, "It's just...not really something I want to talk about right now. It was a stupid mistake I made in my past. I'm just ready to properly close that book and move on with my life."

The brunette nodded once, "Well, can you give me a heads up of where you'll be? Because if you're gone for too long, I'm going to come help."

"The place is called Gomorrah. You'll see it as soon as we enter the Strip," Arianna explained. Veronica nodded and started walking again, but the blonde grabbed her wrist, stopping her, "Please don't say anything to the others. Well, unless I'm missing for more than two hours. My sister doesn't even know the name of the place. This is something I need to do alone, for once in my life. I'm always being helped because everyone thinks I'm just this cute, short, little helpless girl, but not this time. This time, I'm taking care of myself. Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate your concern, but just trust me on this one," Arianna felt the need to explain the situation to her friend. She felt almost like she was speaking to her sister, which caused a huge wave of guilt to hit the blonde. _No, Natalya understands. She's always respected my privacy and has never pressed me for information of my life in Vegas._

"So what happens if you do go missing for more than a few hours? I tell the group and then your sister hates me because you opened up to me more than you have with her?"

The blonde gawked at the brunette, "Are you reading my mind?" Both let out a much needed laugh. "No, Natalya will be fine. She's never asked me about my past, so it's not like it's something she's spent her whole life trying to find out," Arianna assured Veronica, who nodded, and the women began walking again, a comfortable silence taking over them.

* * *

><p>"They are taking way too long," Cass remarked as she chewed at one of her nails. She had previously spent her time pacing across the road as the others either stood or sat on the curb patiently.<p>

"Calm down, they'll be back soon," Natalya spoke in a monotone, as this was the fifth or sixth time she has to reassure the redhead. The courier looked to the other members of the group and shook her head.

"Do you want me to go check on them?" Stranger questioned the courier, who shrugged.

"If it's really bothering you, go right ahead. My sister can be pretty chatty. I'm not too worried; it's not like we can get too much done with what little time is left in the day," she said stealing a glance at her Pip-Boy.

"What time is it?" Boone questioned.

"5:37," Natalya answered flatly.

"What are you talking about? The night is still young!" Cass exclaimed, looking at the group, astonished. "Not everyone is going to Vegas just to drink and gamble, Cass. I can't try to take on a whole casino of men when I'm exhausted," Natalya sighed and looked to the others, "I hate to drag this on another day, but I really think it'd be in our best interest to get a good nights sleep first. I didn't foresee this whole cap predicament happening. I just assumed everything would go smoothly and we'd be in Vegas first thing this morning."

"Yeah, I'm sorry for the delay," Arianna's voice began, causing everyone to look at her, "But, hey, now I finally have a passport." The blonde was smiling as she held up her passport.

"Yes!" The redhead exclaimed as she quickly headed for the gates.

"Ok, everyone ready? No other delays?" Natalya questioned. No one answered. "All right, let's get going," she said and the group began making their way to the gate. "So when we get inside, we'll go talk with Mr. House, then we need to find somewhere to stay for the night," the courier explained her plan to the group as they approached the gates.

"Please hand over 2,000 caps or present your passport before proceeding to the gate. Trespassers will be shot," the Securitron greeted the group.

Everyone exchanged uneasy looks and Natalya stepped forward, "Everyone has a passport, except me. I'd like to buy one." The Securitron extended it's hand out and took the caps from the courier, "Thank you. Here is your passport." The robot's other hand presented a card and handed it to the courier. The Securitron then scanned everyone else's passports before speaking, "Enjoy your time in Vegas."

"Hell yeah I will!" Cass hooted as she pushed past the others and walked through the heavy doors.

As the others followed, Natalya felt the already existent fluttering in her stomach get worse. The Strip was bright, to say the least. The courier took in all of the sights, noticing that the others in the group that have never been here were doing the same. _The sad thing is, I **have **been here before..._ Natalya shook her head in slight embarrassment at that thought. But, like her sister had said; she'd been shot in the damn head. She was completely expected to have some form of memory loss.

Before the group could get too far, Victor wheeled right up to them, "Howdy partners!" He greeted and turned to face Natalya, "The boss is waiting for you. You wanna get headin' up there?"

The courier nodded and looked to the others, "Yeah, let's get going, guys."

The Securitron held an arm up, "Sorry, but Mr. House would like to speak with you alone."

"Oh?" Natalya blurted, a little confused. Her brows furrowed as she began to get a little angry. Why the heck couldn't the people that risked their lives to help get her to Vegas see this man? It must've been obvious she was getting angry, because she felt a hand come to rest on her shoulder.

"It's no big deal," her sister began, "We understand. We'll be out here waiting." The courier looked to the others and they each gave a her a sign of understanding to her.

Natalya gave the group a nod, "Ok. I shouldn't be too long. I hope." The courier turned to follow Victor into the Lucky 38.

"And now we wait," Veronica remarked as she sat on one of the steps that led up to the Lucky 38.

* * *

><p><em>sorry if it seems like this chapter was cut short. it's because it was. lol! there is a lot, and I mean A LOT of things coming up in the next few chapters, so it is best to chop the chapters up like this instead of throwing so much into one chapter.<em>

_I have been working on doing some heavy editing on the previous chapters. nothing is changing story-wise, but I need to work on my formatting and all that fun stuff. so far I've only gotten the first chapter revised, but it's a work in process._

_review! let me know any errors or suggestions. thank you all! smooches! xoxo_


	25. Slow Roll

Stranger took in all of the sights New Vegas had to offer. It was nothing like he'd ever seen before. He was filled with an excitement he'd never felt before. He wondered if he'd be able to sleep that night.

"I've never seen so many people," Veronica stated. She, too, was in awe of the city. Stranger also noticed that Arcade's mouth hung open slightly.

"So we're really just going to wait around for her to get done with her secret meeting?" Cass questioned sarcastically.

"Did you not hear the plan?" Boone asked Cass. His voice was calm. "You're more than welcome to leave if you have other things you want to do."

The redhead bristled, "I guess I might as well just stick with you all."

Stranger saw Arianna throw her hands in the air, "Why?! Why don't you just leave?" Everyone looked to the obviously irritated blonde. "You're always complaining about how slow and boring our group is, but you're completely free to go! No one is making you stay with us, you know."

The blonde flinched at her own words. Even though much worse things could've been said, it was still pretty harsh. It was obvious the redhead was alone. They had found her alone and she never once spoke about family or friends. That's why she followed them.

"Sorry," Arianna muttered as she blushed slightly, clearly ashamed, and sat back down on the steps.

"No, _I'm_ sorry," Cass began, catching a few looks, "This is a rare moment, so don't expect me to repeat any of this; but, truthfully, I appreciate you all. I've been through a lot of shit these past few months. I used to own a caravan service and it was recently attacked," the redhead explained as she sat down on the steps and shook her head, "I lost everything. And along with all of the merchandise and caps, I also lost all of my supposed 'friends,'" Cass sighed as she continued, "I guess I never realized how much they were using me for my money until it was too late. When I needed their help, they had all left."

Silence surrounded the group, even though the streets of Vegas were loud. Stranger looked between the others as he contemplated what Cass had said. She'd been so detached from everyone in the group, that Stranger almost forgot she was human. _Shit, even ED-E shows more emotions than her._

"So, long story short, I'm sorry," the redhead spoke once more before her demeanor turned sarcastic again, "But don't get used to me opening up like this, cause it won't happen again."

Everyone glanced around and remained quiet. Stranger expected the blonde to say something along the lines of 'I'm so glad you opened up to us,' or some other emotional garbage like that. But, as Stranger looked at Arianna, he noticed she was fixated on one of the buildings. He turned to look and saw red lights that flashed 'Gomorrah.' The building was covered in lights that mimicked flames.

When Stranger glanced back at the blonde, she was already focused on something else. She seemed very distracted and, clearly, a bit touchy since they entered the Strip. Stranger sat next to Arianna and decided to speak, since Veronica was distracted and engaged in a different conversation.

"You've been here before, right?" Stranger questioned quietly as Arianna turned to look at him.

"Yeah," she nodded once.

"Got any dirt on any of these places?" Stranger questioned with a smirk on his face. The blonde grinned and looked to each building. She seemed to be mulling over the gossip and rumors of each place in her head.

After telling him the few rumors that she had heard, 'The bosses at Gomorrah force the prostitutes and dancers to get hooked on drugs,' to 'Ultraluxe seems like a nice place, but I've head the meat on their menu is human,' Stranger was convinced that this place had to be the craziest he's ever been to.

"What about this place?" He questioned and nodded his head in the direction of Lucky 38.

The blonde scrunched her nose, "When I was here two years ago, supposedly no human had been inside there in quite some time. So we'll probably hear some more news on the radio regarding my sister, because this is pretty big."

Stranger grimaced as he thought about how that could blow their cover. What if Benny listened to the radio right as Mr. New Vegas announced that Natalya was in Vegas? That wouldn't be very good.

"What do you think of this place so far?" Arianna questioned Stranger, breaking him from his thoughts.

"It's a bit too loud and bright for my taste," Stranger responded as he scratched the back of his head. The blonde let out a chuckle as Stranger popped a cigarette in his mouth and lit it.

"When my sister is finished and we get everything planned out, I could give you a little tour," the blonde offered. Stranger gave her a questionable stare and she blushed, "A tour of Vegas, that is." Stranger let out a laugh as he watched the blonde's face redden. It was cute seeing her embarrassed like that.

"Sure, why not?" Stranger answered as smoke rolled out of his mouth with his words. The two sat in silence as they waited for the courier to come back.

_Wait, did she just ask me on a date?_

* * *

><p>After meeting with the notorious and mysterious Mr. House, Natalya had a lot to think about.<p>

As the elevator took her back to the first floor, she rested her head on the wall as she looked up. _What to do, what to do..._

Mr. House had all but begged for the courier to bring him back the Platinum Chip that Benny had stolen. But when she tried to get information from him, he simply stated that he didn't owe her any explanations. After explaining that the group needed a night's rest before confronting Benny, Mr. House unwillingly agreed. Natalya could tell that Mr. House was eager to get the chip back, but that same chip nearly had her killed.

_What's so special about that stupid chip?! I've gotta get answers before I put it in the wrong hands._

The elevator made a ding sound, signaling Natalya's arrival in the first floor.

"Here we are. You goin' to get your group and come back?" Victor questioned.

"Well just give me a little bit. We have to grab a bite to eat and I'm not even sure if everyone if comfortable staying here for the night," the courier snapped at the robot, who said nothing in response. Natalya sighed, "I really appreciate Mr. House's hospitality, but I've got a lot on my mind, Victor. We'll be back later, I promise."

"No worries, partner!" The robot maintained his cheerful tone. "I'll be here waiting!"

Natalya nodded to the robot as she walked out of the elevator. She went straight for the entrance and pushed the doors open. Squinting slightly from the change of lighting, Natalya noticed the others were still waiting in the same spot. She walked down the stairs and sighed as she approached the group.

"What's up?" Arianna questioned. Natalya closed her eyes and rubbed her temples before she spoke. She was really struggling with how to word everything.

"You wanna go grab a bite to eat and talk about it over dinner?" The courier jumped when she heard how close her sister's voice was. She opened her eyes and nodded.

"All right, I know a place that has the best food! Let's go!" The blonde announced cheerfully and pointed in the direction they would be going.

"Hopefully it's not the same place that you were telling me serves human," Stranger said with a smirk and Arianna gave him a playful shove.

* * *

><p><em>sorry if the chapters seem to be getting shorter! I'm really trying to make everything blend in together properly and I don't want to end up with a 5,000 word chapter with too much information that leaves people confused. have I already explained this in another an? ah, well._

_hey, it's my birthday! yay! :)_

_as always, please leave reviews, questions, and suggestions. xoxo_


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